aw189 advances - helispot · 2014. 10. 20. · 40 safety & training news ihst’s target of...

February 2013 Serving the Worldwide Helicopter Industry rotorandwing.com

AdvancesAW189

Heli-Expo Preview

Paganini Q&A

Elbit’s Vision

Bell 525 Update

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3FEBRUARY 2013 | ROTOR & WING MAGAZINE

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4 W W W. R O T O R A N D W I N G . C O MROTOR & WING MAGAZINE | FEBRUARY 2013

By Andrew Parker

Partnerships May Hold Key to the Future

With the U.S. government “fiscal cliff ” averted in early January but debt ceiling talks and spending

cuts still up in the air as of this writing, uncertainty remains about how much money will be available for future U.S. military needs, including its helicop-ter fleet. The commercial sector has a few bright spots but with the global economy still in flux, companies are looking for ways to combine resources and leverage common goals to meet the needs of helicopter operators.

Of course this concept of team-ing isn’t new, and while there are many examples of successful part-nerships and joint ventures during 2012 and before, I’d like to focus on two announcements made in Janu-ary where aircraft OEMs are pooling their resources to address the needs of emerging markets, both in commer-cial and military acquisition circles.

The long-term teaming agreement between Sikorsky and Boeing (see story on page 14) to develop a Phase 1 Joint Multi-Role demonstrator—which is the precursor to Future Vertical Lift, or FVL—for the U.S. Army Aviation Applied Technology Directorate is a recent example of col-laboration in the military arena. While officials from both companies didn’t offer many details during a January 17 conference call with reporters, they did indicate a desire for speed as part of the equation, which could point to Sikorsky’s S-97 Raider (the offshoot of the X2 technology demonstrator) being involved in some way, or per-haps technology from Boeing’s AH-64 Apache E variant could play a role.

More details will emerge in March, when the companies plan to submit a joint proposal to the U.S. Army. Phase 2 of the JMR program is scheduled for 2015 and the Sikorsky/Boeing team

will produce “one or more” technol-ogy demonstrators by 2017.

The JMR agreement isn’t the first time that Boeing and Sikorsky have worked together—the two collaborat-ed on the RAH-66 Comanche, build-ing two prototypes from 1996 to 2004 before the program was scrapped due to cost overruns. Will the advances achieved in the Comanche’s design be incorporated into Boeing/Sikorsky’s latest offering? Time will tell.

In mid-January, AgustaWestland announced an agreement to establish a joint venture with South American airline giant Embraer. The announce-ment comes roughly a month after another AgustaWestland joint ven-ture—HeliVert, which is a partnership with Russian Helicopters—flew a Russian-produced AW139 for the first time (see story on page 20).

The memorandum of under-standing with Embraer opens up the possibility of manufacturing AgustaWestland helicopters in Brazil for both commercial and military uses throughout Latin America.

AgustaWestland CEO Bruno Spagnolini noted the importance of “having an industrial presence” in a fast-growing helicopter market such as Brazil as central to creating the joint venture with Embraer.

The two companies have con-ducted preliminary studies that indi-cate a strong demand for twin-engine, medium lift rotorcraft, specifically in the offshore oil and gas sector. Other potential growth areas in South America include military and execu-tive transport. AgustaWestland and Embraer will launch the joint venture “within a few months” after finalizing the agreement and obtaining regula-tory approvals.

These are just a pair of very recent examples—like other industries, joint

ventures, mergers, takeovers, buy-outs and acquisitions have always been around, and at any moment the possibility exists that longtime rivals could become “friends” that combine resources for a shared objective. Of course there are also the partnerships that OEMs establish with component and systems providers, such as engine makers, avionics suppliers and com-pletions specialists. But will this trend of multiple primes working together continue?

At the AHS Forum in May 2012, a panel of helicopter industry leaders predicted that teaming would hold the key to the future of the industry (see “Innovation, Collaboration Essen-tial to Future Success,” June 2012, page 32). “We’ve partnered with almost everybody here at the table over time,” observed Bell Helicopter President & CEO John Garrison, “so I think the industry’s going to grow, the oppor-tunity is there, and you’re going to see new entrants before you see fewer competitors. What happens in 2030? I can’t speak to that, but we think the industry’s profitable and worth invest-ing in.” Eurocopter CEO Lutz Bertling remarked that finding new markets means not only finding new opera-tors, but also discovering new uses. “There is room for growth, but there will be new entrants. There will not only be six, there will be eight or nine, some of us might disappear, and those who will disappear are those who are not leading innovation.”

With a number of unknowns still prevalent in the worldwide econ-omy and U.S. defense budget, the road ahead appears—now more than ever—to be paved with cooperation. Let’s hope that the major players in the helicopter industry can find ways to work together better than the politi-cians in Washington, D.C.

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Public ServiceMilitaryCommercialPersonal|Corporate

THIS MONTH FROM

24

FEATURES24 ■ Bell 525 Progress Continues

“Relentless” manufacturer targets certification of super medium twin helicopter in mid-2014. By Pat Gray

28 ■ Q&A with Marc PaganiniAmerican Eurocopter CEO forecasts a market rebound in 2014 and beyond. By Andrew Parker, Editor-in-Chief

32 ■ Heli-Expo 2013 PreviewMore than 700 exhibitors, 20,000 attendees expected at the world’s largest helicopter tradeshow. By Ernie Stephens, Editor-at-Large

36 ■ Elbit’s Vision Past the Fiscal CliffElbit Systems has carved a place for itself in the military aviation market through acquisitions and joint ventures. By Andrew Drwiega, Military Editor

40 ■ Safety & Training NewsIHST’s target of reducing accidents will be missed but industry strives for safety with new rules, designs and equipment. By Thierry Dubois

On the Cover: AgustaWestland AW189 prototype during a demonstration flight on December 6 at

Arlington Municipal Airport in Texas. Photo courtesy of AgustaWestland.

(Above) Bell 525 Relentless cabin. Photo by Pat Gray. (Bottom)

Elbit Systems of America (ESA) large display. (Right) Eurocopter

sling load system in operation as part of a power line utility project.

DEPARTMENTS12 Rotorcraft Report

18 People

18 Coming Events

23 Hot Products

45 Classified Ads

47 Ad Index

COLUMNS

4 Editor’s Notebook

8 Feedback

10 Meet the Contributors

44 Safety Watch

46 Leading Edge

48 Law Enforcement

Notebook

50 Military Insider

36

7W W W. R O T O R A N D W I N G . C O M FEBRUARY 2013 | ROTOR & WING MAGAZINE

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Vol. 47 | No. 2 February 2013

The editors welcome new product information and other industry news. All editorial inquiries should be directed to Rotor & Wing magazine, 4 Choke Cherry Rd., 2nd Floor, Rockville, Md. 20850, USA; 1-301-354-1839; fax 1-301-762-8965. E-mail: [email protected]. Rotor & Wing (ISSN-1066-8098) is published monthly by Access Intelligence, 4 Choke Cherry Rd., 2nd Floor, Rockville, Md. 20850, USA. Periodical postage paid at Rockville, Md. and additional mailing offices. Subscriptions: Free to qualified individuals directly involved in the helicopter industry. All other subscriptions, U.S.: one year $89; two years $178. Canada: one year $99; two years $198; Foreign: one year $129; two years $258.POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Rotor & Wing, P.O. Box 3089, Northbrook, Ill. 60065-3089, USA. Change of address two to eight weeks notice requested. Send both new and old address, including mailing label to Attn: Rotor & Wing magazine, Customer Services, P.O. Box 3089, Northbrook, Ill. 60065-3089, USA or call 1-847-559-7314. E-mail: [email protected]. Canada Post PM40063731. Return Undeliverable Canadian Addresses to: Station A, PO Box 54, Windsor, ON N9A 6J5.

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8 ROTOR & WING MAGAZINE | FEBRUARY 2013

Do you have comments on the rotorcraft industry or recent articles and viewpoints we’ve published? Send them to Editor, Rotor & Wing, 4 Choke Cherry Road, Second Floor, Rockville, Md. 20850, USA, fax us at 1-301-354-1809 or e-mail us at [email protected]. Please include a city and state or province with your name and ratings. We reserve the right to edit all submitted material.

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Feedback

W W W. R O T O R A N D W I N G . C O M

Fair and Balanced?I am extremely concerned with Rotor & Wing’s December 2012 “Military Insider” column by Andrew Drwiega regarding the U.S. Army’s Armed Aer-ial Scout (AAS) program which was surprisingly one-sided, laden with inac-curacies, and failed to reflect Rotor & Wing’s high standards of accuracy and journalistic integrity. In fact, the entire piece was predicated on the observa-tions of a person identified as a paid “advisor” to one of the companies pur-suing the next generation AAS.

Readers who expect fair and bal-anced reporting will appreciate the facts: the incumbent Kiowa Warrior has served the Army for decades and, in doing so, has earned an impressive reputation and a loyal following. The most requested Close Air Support platform in Army Aviation, the Kiowa Warrior has logged more than 800,000 combat hours, and achieved the highest OPTEMPO, readiness and mission-ca-pable rates of any Army aircraft operat-ing in Iraq or Afghanistan. Importantly, the Kiowa Warrior is well-integrated into Army supply chains, training pro-grams, and personnel systems.

Readers of the Military Insider col-umn might never know that in Octo-ber 2012, Rotor & Wing reported that the upgraded OH-58F Kiowa Warrior has “a more powerful engine with an enhanced tail rotor designed to meet hot and high requirements at 6,000 feet and 95 degrees,” and that the OH-58 Block II aircraft “will cost less than upgrading to another design, and will integrate into the Army’s existing sup-ply chains to save additional money for spares inventory, as well as with train-ing and personnel.”

In fact, the block upgrade strategy for the OH-58—which has successfully demonstrated 6K/95 performance—is estimated to be some $10 billion less expensive than other options currently under consideration. The Army con-ducted the Voluntary Flight Demon-

stration and supporting data collection to make an informed decision based on facts and proven performance. Rotor & Wing has failed—in this case—to sup-port a fair and balanced discussion of the alternatives.

Robert Hastings, Senior Vice President

Communications & Government Affairs

Bell Helicopter

Matter of OpinionIn answer the letter from Mr. Hastings, there are a number of issues to address. Firstly, Military Insider is a personal commentary column designed to pres-ent points of view and opinions in a way that regular features do not. As is pointed out in the letter, Rotor & Wing has on previous occasions praised the contribution that OH-58 has made to the U.S. military during its long and valuable service life.

Although the article was said to be “laden with inaccuracies,” no specific examples are mentioned.

With reference to coverage of Bell Helicopter’s involvement in the U.S. Army’s Voluntary Flight Demonstra-tion exercise, Bell’s participation was included in a feature written by another author in the same issue (Army Com-pletes VFD Phase of AAS Program, pages 22 to 25).

Finally, I see no distinction between including the comments of a “paid” advi-sor to EADS North America, against statements made daily by those market-

ing directors and the like for Bell Heli-copter, EADS North America or any other OEM (all paid representatives).

The reason that his comments were so valid was because as a 28-year Army veteran who has flown the OH-58D, been a Chief of Staff and commanded an Aviation Brigade in combat, he was ideally placed to offer an opinion on this important subject.

His affiliation was clearly stated in the article so that readers could put his personal comments into context, some-thing that the professional readership of Rotor & Wing is able to do as a matter of course.

Andrew Drwiega

Military Insider columnist

Rotor & Wing

CorrectionsIn the December 2012 Training News section on page 42, retired Lt. Glenn Daley was identified as a current mem-ber of NYPD. In addition, remarks about a water impulse cannon were incorrectly attributed to Daley.

The last name of Elbit Systems of America CEO Raanan Horowitz was misspelled in the “Coming Up” section on the January issue on page 53.

A subcategory in Military Insider on page 50 of the December 2012 issue that was mistakenly labeled “R&D” should have read “Airframes.”

We sincerely regret the errors.

ɀ R&W’s Question of the Month

What are your organization’s

expectations for Heli-Expo

2013 in Las Vegas? Let us know, and look for your and others’ responses in

a future issue. You’ll find contact information below.

10 ROTOR & WING MAGAZINE | FEBRUARY 2013 W W W. R O T O R A N D W I N G . C O M

Meet the ContributorsLEE BENSON is a retired senior pilot for the

Los Angeles County Fire Department. Before

he was named senior pilot, Lee ran the avia-

tion section’s safety and training programs,

including organizing the section’s yearly

safety meeting with other public agencies and the press.

ANDREW DRWIEGA, Military Editor, is a

senior defense journalist with a particular

focus on international military rotorcraft. He

has reported on attachment from Iraq three

times (the latest of which was with a U.S.

Marine Corps MV-22 squadron), and three times with British

forces in Afghanistan (Kandahar and Camp Bastion), as well

as from numerous exercises. He has flown in a wide variety of

rotorcraft including the MV-22B Osprey, AH-64D Apache,

Rooivalk and many others.

THIERRY DUBOIS is a long-time contrib-

utor to Access Intelligence publications.

He has been an aerospace journalist for

12 years, specializing in helicopters since

2006. He writes on technical subjects,

both for professional media and a popular science maga-

zine in France. Follow him on Twitter: @aerodub

PAT GRAY is our “Offshore Notebook”

contributor, having flown in Gulf of Mexico

helicopter operations for 20-plus years. Prior

to that, he was in Vietnam in 1958 as a young

paratrooper. He retired from the Army

Reserve as a chief warrant officer 4, with more than 30 years

active and reserve service. Gray’s civil helicopter experience

covers crop dusting and Alaska bush, corporate, pipeline

and offshore flying.

FRANK LOMBARDI, an ATP with both

fixed-wing and rotary-wing ratings, began

his flying career in 1991 after graduating

with a bachelor’s of science in aerospace

engineering, working on various airplane and

helicopter programs as a flight test engineer for Grumman

Aerospace Corp. Frank became a police officer for a major

East Coast police department in 1995, and has been flying

helicopters in the department’s aviation section since 2000.

He remains active in test and evaluation, and holds a master’s

degree in aviation systems-flight testing from the University

of Tennessee Space Institute.

DOUGLAS NELMS has more than 30 years

of experience as an aviation journalist and

currently works as a freelance writer. He has

served as managing editor of Rotor & Wing.

A former U.S. Army helicopter pilot, Nelms

specializes in writing about helicopters.

DALE SMITH has been an aviation journalist

for 24 years specializing in business aviation.

He is currently a contributing writer for Rotor

& Wing and other leading aviation magazines.

He has been a licensed pilot since 1974 and has

flown 35 different types of general aviation, business and

WWII vintage aircraft.

ERNIE STEPHENS, Editor-at-Large, began

flying in the 1980s, earning his commer-

cial pilot’s license and starting an aerial

photography company as a sideline. In

his regular job as a county police officer,

he was transferred to the department’s newly estab-

lished aviation unit, where he served as the sergeant in

charge and chief pilot until his retirement in 2006. In

addition to regular contributions in the pages of Rotor

& Wing, Ernie (aka “Werewolf ”) has written for Access

Intelligence sister publication Avionics Magazine ,

www.aviationtoday.com/av

TERRY TERRELL gained his early avia-

tion experience as a U.S. Navy fixed-wing

instructor and U.S. Coast Guard aircraft

commander, where his service included

SAR in Sikorsky S-61s. Terry served as a

cross-qualified captain and safety special projects officer

with Houston’s Transco Energy, and later with Atlanta’s

Kennestone AVSTAT Helicopter Ambulance Program and

Georgia Baptist LifeFlight.

www.aero-access.com | [email protected] | 1-800-251-7094

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AgustaWestland is in the midst

U.S. flight tests of the AW189 that

will continue through spring 2013.

The testbed—one of five AW189

prototypes—made stops in Arizona

and Texas before flying to Alaska for

cold weather trials as part of a nine-

month effort. The manufacturer

provided an aerial demonstration

of the AW189 on December 6 at

its facility at Arlington Municipal

Airport (GKY), as well as an update

on the AW609, formerly the BA609

before AgustaWestland purchased

Bell Helicopter’s share in the tiltro-

tor design in November 2011.

According to AgustaWestland,

one of the five AW189 prototypes

began the U.S. trials in July 2012,

conducting performance checks, hot

and high testing, and cold weather

operations. Other tests include han-

dling qualities, hover performance

and Cat A/B takeoff and landing.

The manufacturer has carried out

more than 160 flight hours in the

U.S. through December 2012. The

five prototypes have amassed a total

of more than 800 flight hours, with

certification expected in second

quarter 2013.

Mike Bucari, market analyst

based at AgustaWestland’s Phila-

delphia location, explained that

prototypes P1, P3 and P5 are based

in Italy, while P2 is being used in the

U.S. and P4 is located in the UK. He

noted the “significant investment”

that AgustaWestland is making

with five prototypes, launching the

AW189 in June 2011 as part of a

family of helicopters—the relatives

being the AW139 and AW169—

with common avionics, internal and

external structure, maintenance and

components/parts, among other

shared resources.

“The reason I say there’s a com-

mon aspect among the three is the

way the aircraft is laid out, the way

the avionics are laid out, the displays

on the MFD and the PFD—they’re

going to be pretty much the same.

So that it’s an easy of transition in a

■ PRODUCTS | AIRFRAMES

AW189 Prototype Heads to Alaska After Texas Demo as Part of U.S. Stops During Global Flight Test Campaign

AgustaWestland conducted a flight demonstration of the U.S.-based AW189

prototype (P2) on December 6 in Arlington, Texas before heading to Alaska for cold

weather trials through spring 2013, at which point it will fly back to Italy to rejoin

the other four testbed helicopters in the fleet (P1 and P3-P5).

Pho

tos b

y R

and

y J

ones

Rotorcraft Report

13FEBRUARY 2013 | ROTOR & WING MAGAZINEW W W. R O T O R A N D W I N G . C O M

multi-ship fleet for a pilot to go from

one aircraft to another,” Bucari said.

He also mentioned a proprietary soft-

ware design.

“No longer are we on the heels of a

Honeywell or a Chelton for any soft-

ware updates that need to be done,” he

said. “Now we have full control of the

process, now we have the capability of

doing that all in-house. It really allows a

large amount of flexibility.”

Bucari went on to explain the

“family approach” to the design of the

AW139, AW169 and AW189, saying

“they’re kind

of like broth-

ers of one

a n o t h e r—

not deriva-

tives of one

another, but

b r o t h e r s .

They share

a common

family background—they look the

same, fly the same, talk the same, but

they’re a completely different aircraft.”

Richard Luck, head of AW609 mar-

keting, explained that AgustaWest-

land has increased the flying fre-

quency of the test program over

the past 11 months, compiling

more than 750 hours, or around

10 percent of the total program.

AgustaWestland became the sole

owner of the BA609 in Novem-

ber 2011, with the type certificate

transferred over in February 2012.

FAA certification for the AW609 is

projected in 2016.

Recent pro-

gram advance-

ments include

h i r i n g m o r e

staff on a 250-

person integrat-

ed development

team; comple-

tion of test facil-

ities in Arling-

ton, Texas and

Cascina Costa,

Italy; and open-

ing a flight sim-

ulator facility in

Arlington and

a software inte-

gration center in

Cascina Costa.

A g u s t aWe s t-

land has also sent product specifica-

tions to suppliers of major AW609

systems, such as BAE, Pratt & Whitney

and Rockwell Collins.

AW189 fly-by.

AW189 prototype P4, which is

based in the UK. Photo courtesy of

AgustaWestland

AW189 P2 testbed on the tarmac at Arlington

Municipal Airport (GKY) during a Dec. 6 demo flight.

Center panel on the AW189 P2 prototype.


Rotorcraft Report

■ MILITARY | PROCUREMENT

Bell-Boeing Wins $1.4 Billion USMC/Air Force V-22 ContractBell-Boeing’s Joint Project Office has obtained a $1.4-

billion contract extension to supply 17 MV-22 tiltrotors

to the U.S. Marine Corps and four CV-22s to the U.S. Air

Force.

The agreement is an expansion of an existing V-22 Lot 17

contract. The deal also provides funding to purchase com-

ponents related to the manufacture of 19 Lot 18 MV-22s

and three CV-22s in fiscal year 2014.

Around 40 percent of the work is scheduled to take place

at locations in Texas (Fort Worth, Amarillo and Dallas),

while 19 percent will occur in Ridley Park, Pa. and the rest

at dozens of sites around the United States. Completion is

targeted for September 2016.

Bell-Boeing has also received a separate $33.6-million

contract involving engineering and technical support for

the V-22’s flight control system.

The agreement covers avionics software, flight test

planning, upgraded flight controls and integration test-

ing. Bell-Boeing will conduct most of the work in Phila-

delphia (around 90 percent), with the remainder in Fort

Worth. Estimated completion is scheduled for December

2013.


Brazil’s Atlas Purchases First Russian Ka-62 Exports

Brazilian company Atlas Táxi Aéreo

has ordered seven Russian-made

multirole Ka-62 helicopters (with

an option for a further seven). The

contract was discussed and agreed

when Brazilian President Dilma Rous-

seff visited Russia and met President

Vladimir Putin in early December.

This is the first export order for the new Ka-62.

The order will be spread over 12 months beginning in first

quarter 2015 when the first two will be delivered. Two more are

scheduled for handover before the end of the year with the final

helicopter arriving in Brazil by the end of first quarter 2016.

The Ka-62 is one of the latest helicopters to come out of Rus-

sian Helicopters’ design agency. Testing should begin in 2013

with international certification expected by the time the first

aircraft arrives in Brazil. According to Russian Helicopters, the

deal includes the establishment of a local service center in Brazil.

Atlas Táxi Aéreo currently operates five Sikorsky S-76As, as well

as two Mi-171A1s. The Russian Navy has also declared an inter-

est in the Kamov Ka-62 and is said to be preparing a maritime

version of the helicopter. —By Andrew Drwiega

Sikorsky and Boeing will once again team over a military

rotorcraft project, this time the venture is the U.S. Army

Aviation Applied Technology Directorate’s (AATD)

requirement for a Joint Multi-Role (JMR) technology

demonstrator (TD), the forerunner to the Future Vertical Lift

(FVL) requirement in the 2030s.

Signed on January 13, the agreement means that the

companies will submit a joint proposal to the AATD for the

JMR TD Phase 1. A contract would follow in autumn for a

platform demonstrator that would be used to evaluate next

generation technology.

There has been no statement whether the JMR would

be based on any current helicopter manufactured by either

Sikorsky or Boeing, although a Boeing representative said

the expectation was that further details regarding the project

would be revealed before the March 2013 deadline.

Phase 2 would begin in 2015 and that would take the proj-

ect forward through the inclusion of the mission equipment

package. Should the Sikorsky Boeing team then be successful,

the hope is that they would then be jointly responsible for

the production of the FVL (medium) aircraft, which would

replace the current Sikorsky Black Hawk and Boeing Apache

fleets within Army Aviation (around 4,000 helicopters).

The two rotorcraft primes have teamed before, most

notably on the ill-fated RAH-66 Comanche. Two RAH-66

prototypes were built and conducted flight testing from 1996

to 2004. Widely acknowledged as having made important steps

forward during its development, despite the aircraft’s eventual

cancellation due to considerable cost overruns, it is feasible that

both companies feel that aspects of their previous joint devel-

opment project could be useful to the JMR. Both Sikorsky with

its S-97 Raider development based on the X2 and Boeing with

its advanced Apache E have cutting-edge technologies to bring

to the party. This makes teaming in this economically challeng-

ing environment a logical step for both companies.

Chris Chadwick’s released statement on the announce-

ment alluded to the shared history: “Our teaming agreement

is the continuation of a long-standing relationship between

Boeing and Sikorsky and reflects a common vision for the

future of Army aviation.” He continued: “Our combined

technical strengths and our collective program management

expertise make this partnership an exciting development in

meeting the Army’s JMR program objectives.”

Finally, the statement hinted that there could be more

than one demonstrator aircraft developed for the 2017 dead-

line. —By Andrew Drwiega, Military Editor

■ MILITARY | TECHNOLOGY

Sikorsky, Boeing Partner Again on JMR/Future Vertical Lift

Graphic illustration of the

Ka-62 in Atlas livery.

Credit: Russian Helicopters

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Rotorcraft Report

■ COMMERCIAL | TOURISM

Eurocopter Hands Over First EC135P2+ to Beijing Capital

Hainan Airlines Group affiliate Beijing Capital Helicopter

took delivery of its first VIP-configured Eurocopter

EC135P2+ on January 15. The company will use the

helicopter for passenger transport, tourism and EMS

operations, including aerial tours during the upcoming

Lunar New Year holidays. The new EC135 adds to

Beijing Helicopter’s current f leet of five AS350B3

Squirrels.

■ SERVICES | HUMS

U.S. Coast Guard MH-60T Fleet Receives Honeywell HUMS The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) has awarded a $4.8-million

contract to Honeywell for the installation of the company’s

Zing health and usage monitoring system (HUMS) across the

USCG’s fleet of MH-60T helicopters.

The USCG order is for 42 Zing HUMS 1230 aircraft kits and

24 ground support kits. Data collected from sensors located

around the aircraft is downloaded into a ground station, which

shows the status of a range of components. Data is collected,

processed and interpreted from systems including the engines,

gearboxes and other dynamic components.

USCG will benefit from this type of HUMS in that it should

cut mission aborts due to system malfunctions. HUMS systems

are also designed to decrease the requirement for non-essential

maintenance due to their monitoring capability. In some cases,

HUMS can prevent damage through over maintenance. By

monitoring vibration and presenting it through actionable data,

faults should be able to be rectified prior to actually failing.

The U.S. Army also uses Honeywell’s HUMS technology in

Apache, Kiowa Warrior and Chinook D model helicopters, as

well as in Special Operations Command (SOCOM) rotorcraft.

It completed installations of the 160th Special Operations Avia-

tion Regiments MH-47Gs in April and is now working to install

the system over the MH-60M fleet.

For more HUMS and avionics news, visit our sister publica-

tion, Avionics Magazine: www.avionicstoday.com

The United Kingdom’s

Ministry of Defence

(MoD) has approved a

£258-million contract

to extend the Sea King

Integrated Operational

S u p p o r t ( S K I O S )

program to the expected

end of service of the

helicopter type in 2016.

The SKIOS exten-

sion has been necessary

following the need to

rebid the search and

re s c u e s - h e l i c o p te r

(SAR-H) project. The

military were initially

due to end their provision of SAR coverage by 2012 when the

Soteria Consortium (comprising CHC Helicopters, Thales

UK and the Royal Bank of Scotland), who had won the original

Private Financial Initiative (PFI) contract, were due to take over.

However, the contract was scrapped in early 2011 following

the discovery of irregularities concerning the bid.

There are still around 90 Sea Kings still in service between

the Royal Air Force (HAR3/3A) and Royal Navy (Mk4), most

notably as SAR aircraft covering the UK and the Falkland Islands.

There are also a small num-

ber of RN Sea King Mk7s that

provide airborne surveillance

and control, more recently

operating in Afghanistan.

Other RN Sea King’s are

operated by the Commando

Helicopter Force and these

are due to be replaced by the

RAF Merlin AW101 helicopters in the near future.

Vector Aerospace will continue to provide maintenance,

repair and overhaul (MRO) support to the Sea King fleet under

the direction of the prime contractor, AgustaWestland. —By

Andrew Drwiega, Military Editor

■ MILITARY | AIRFRAMES

UK Extends Sea King SKIOS to 2016

Corporate-configured Beijing Capital

Helicopter’s EC135P2+.

Royal Air Force Sea King Mk.3.

Roayl Navy Sea King Mk.4.

Eurocopter

AgustaWestland

AgustaWestland

Rotorcraft Report


yyy0à{uco0eqo

Introducing SAM,™ the MD302 Standby Attitude Module. SAM is the ãrst digital standby to vro¦ide attitude, altitude, airsveed and sliv inlorsation in an ad¦anced, 23inch lorsat.

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■ SERVICES | CERTIFICATION

EASA Approves Cobham HeliSASCobham Commercial Systems has obtained an EASA supplemental type certificate (STC) for its

HeliSAS stability augmentation system and autopilot. The approval grants installation of HeliSAS

on the Eurocopter AS350B, B1-3, BA and EC130B4 variants in European Union nations.

Cobham’s Wulfsberg Electronics unit has received a contract to supply its digital audio control

system (DACS) for the AgustaWestland AW119Kx. The audio system will be installed on 15 heli-

copters that will enter service during 2013 with Life Flight Network in Aurora, Ore.

■ PUBLIC SERVICE | EMS

Air Methods Buys 20 Bell 407GXs, 22 Eurocopter Variants Bell Helicopter has secured an order

from HEMS provider Air Methods

for 20 407GX helicopters, which

feature Garmin’s G1000H avionics.

Under the agreement, Air Methods

division United Rotorcraft will equip

the helicopters with an EMS interior—

including an articulating loading

system—and other medical systems

like oxygen, suction air and electrical

power. Bell’s partnership with Air

Methods dates back to 1980 with the

Bell 206.

The HEMS provider has also pur-

chased 22 helicopters from American

Eurocopter, 10 of which are the upgrad-

ed “T2” version of the EC130 that was

uncovered at Heli-Expo in February

2012. The order, which also includes

six copies each of the AS350B3e and

EC135P2e, is valued at more than $80

million. Englewood, Colo.-based Air

Methods operates a fleet of more than

330 Eurocopter variants, which make

up around 80 percent of its fleet.

United Rotorcraft will also handle

the completions, with American Euro-

copter scheduled to start deliveries to

the air medical provider in mid-2014,

running through 2015.

■ PRODUCTS | ENGINES

Turbomeca Arriel 2E Receives EASA CertificationEASA has certified the Turbomeca

Arriel 2E engine, which is scheduled

for entry into service at the end of

2013 on the Eurocopter EC145T2.

The Arriel 2E has a takeoff power of

950 shp, and is controlled by a dual-

channel FADEC, and a new engine data

recorder. According to Turbomeca,

the engine also features a higher time

between overhaul (TBO), with up to

4,000 hours at entry into service.


Rotorcraft Report

PEOPLE

March 4–7: HAI Heli-Expo 2013, Las Vegas, Nev. Contact HAI,

1-703-683-4646 or visit www.rotor.com

March 12-14: ATC Global, Amsterdam RAI Center, Amsterdam, Netherlands. Visit www.atcglobalhub.com

March 18–20: 9th Annual CHC Safety & Safety Summit, Vancouver, Canada. Contact CHC, phone 1-604-232-7424 or visit www.chcsafetyqualitysummit.com

March 25–28: 56th Annual AEA International Convention &

Trade Show, Las Vegas, Nev. Contact Aircraft Electronics Assoc., phone 1-816-347-8400 or visit www.aea.net

April 8-10: Navy Lead Sea-Air-Space Exposition, Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center, National Harbor, Md. Visit www.seaairspace.org

April 9-11: Aircraft Interiors Expo, Hamburg Messe, Hamburg, Germany. Visit www.aircraftinteriorsexpo.com

April 10–14: Quad-A Annual Convention, Fort Worth, Texas. Contact Quad-A, phone 1-203-268-2450 or visit www.quad-a.org

April 16–18: Asian Business Aviation Conference &

Exhibition (ABACE 2013), Shanghai, China. Contact NBAA, phone 1-202-783-9000 or visit www.abace.aero

May 16–18: 6th International Helicopter Industry Exhibition, Moscow, Russia. Contact HeliRussia, phone +7 (0) 495 958 9490 or visit helirussia.ru/en

May 21–23: AHS International 69th Annual Forum and

Technology Display, Phoenix, Ariz. Contact AHS, phone 1-703-

684-6777 or visit www.vtol.org

May 21–23: European Business Aviation Convention

and Exhibition (EBACE), Geneva PALEXPO and Geneva

International Airport, Geneva, Switzerland. Visit www.ebace.aero

June 17–23: Paris Airshow, Le Bourget, Paris, France. Visit

www.paris-air-show.com

July 29-Aug. 4: EAA AirVenture, Wittman Regional Airport,

Oshkosh, Wis. Visit www.eaa.org

Aug. 12-15: Association of Unmanned Vehicle Systems

International (AUVSI) Unmanned Systems 2013, Walter E.

Washington Convention Center, Washington, D.C. Visit www.

auvsi.org

Oct. 21-23: AUSA Annual Meeting and Exposition, Walter E.

Washington Convention Center, Washington, D.C. Visit www.

ausa.org

Oct. 22-24: NBAA Annual Meeting & Convention, Las Vegas

Convention Center, Las Vegas. Visit www.nbaa.org

Nov. 17-21: Dubai Airshow, Dubai World Central, Dubai. Visit

www.dubaiairshow.aero.

Hong Kong, China-

b a se d Me troj e t

h a s a p p o i n t e d

Ta n S i a h - J o o

a s d i r e c t o r o f

i t s Commerc i a l

division. He joined the company in

June 2011 as director of corporate

development, after working a number

of years at Singapore Airlines Group

subsidiaries, including SilkAir and SIA

Engineering Company.

Jim Kettles has joined YES Com-

munications as vice president and part

owner. He brings more than 30 years

of helicopter industry experience to

the Dallas, Texas-based media and

event planning company. Kettle has

flown various commercial and military

aircraft in the U.S. and Canada, includ-

ing in the offshore, EMS, corporate,

law enforcement, utility and electronic

newsgathering (ENG) sectors.

Thales Group’s board of directors

has elected Jean-Bernard Levy as

chairman and CEO. He replaces Luc

Vigneron, who resigned in Decem-

ber. Levy was previously chairman

of the management board at Vivendi,

and his background also includes

serving as chairman and CEO of

Matra Communication, and CEO

and managing partner of Offo et Cie.

J i m C h r i s -

tiansen is the new

vice president of

international busi-

ness development

fo r F l i g ht S a fe ty

International. He comes from Hawk-

er Beechcraft, where he was vice

president of sales for business jets

in the eastern U.S. Christiansen also

previously worked for NetJets.

Garmin’s board of directors has

appointed Clifton Pemble to take

over as president and CEO from one

of the company’s co-founders, Dr.

Min Kao. Pemble began working for

Garmin in 1989 as an engineer, most

recent serving as president and chief

operating officer. Pemble has served

on the board of directors of Garmin

since August 2004.

King Aerospace

Commercial Corp.

ha s hi re d Tony

B aile y a s C EO,

r e s p o n s i b l e f o r

directing all of the

operations for the modification, com-

pletions and maintenance provider.

He comes from Comlux, where he

served as CEO. Bailey, whose previ-

ous experience also includes director

of maintenance at Pentastar Aviation,

will be based at King Aerospace’s

modification facility in Ardmore,

Okla.

com

ing

even

ts

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Rotorcraft Report

■ SERVICES | FLIGHT TESTING

HeliVert-Built AW139 Takes Flight in Russia

Russian Helicopters and Agusta-

Westland joint venture, HeliVert,

has conducted the initial flight of

the first Russian-produced AW139.

The test flight, which included with

the helicopter’s maiden liftoff and

controlled hover, took place on

December 19 at the HeliVert assembly

plant in Tomilino near Moscow, lasting

37 minutes. HeliVert plans to introduce

a second AW139 into the flight test

program in February.

■ COMMERCIAL | ACQUISITIONS

Chinese Investment Firm Acquires Enstrom HelicopterEnstrom Helicopter is under new ownership as Chongqing Helicopter Investment

Co. (CQHIC) has purchased the Menominee, Mich.-based company. According

to Enstrom President Jerry Mullins, the acquisition will allow Enstrom to expand

in China and Asia while increasing production rates at the facility in Menominee

through an investment from CQHIC. The manufacturer reports a 50 percent uptick

in hiring over the past 18 months.


Russian Helicopters Plans Indian Assembly Complex

UIC Oboronprom subsidiary Russian Helicopters has agreed to establish an

assembly plant in New Delhi with Elcom Systems Private Ltd., which is part of India’s

SUN Group. The facility will produce Kamov Ka- and Mil Mi- series variants, starting

with the Ka-226T. The agreement, which was announced during Russian President

Vladimir Putin’s visit to India in late December, includes a framework to research

advanced concepts, according to Russian Helicopters CEO Dmitry Petrov. It also

includes a provision develop a joint Helicopter Academy for technical and flight

training with Elcom Systems.

Russian Helicopters has secured a separate contract for additional Mi-17V-5

helicopters from the Indian Ministry of Defence. The agreement is an expansion of a

2008 deal with Rosoboronexport, with delivery expected in 2015. The Mi-17V-5s are

intended for the Indian Air Force.

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Rotorcraft Report


In 2011 a new-start program was initiated to add an extra eight MH-47Gs into

the SOCOM fleet. The MH-47G Plus 8 program will incorporate SOF modifica-

tions but is similarly constructed along the lines of the CH-47F with a monolithic

frame. In July 2012, the Pentagon’s latest Quadrennial Roles and Missions Review

(QRMR) was submitted to the Senate and House Armed Services committees. It

was expected to support the expansion of the MH-47G fleet as part of investment

to meet the stated policy objectives for the FY13-FY17 period, namely: “coun-

tering terrorism; deterring and defeating aggression; maintaining a safe, secure

nuclear deterrent; defending the homeland and supporting civil authorities.”

■ MILITARY | SPECIAL OPS

Additional Funds Found for Special Ops MH-47G Boeing has obtained a $34-million

cost plus fixed fee contract for an

MH-47G special operations variant

Chinook from the U.S. Army. Delivery

is expected by Oct. 31, 2015. This is the

first of eight scheduled for handover to

the U.S. Army through 2017.

The first MH-47G was deployed

in 2007 and the final airframe of the

61 remanufactured MH-47Gs was

delivered to the Army in March 2011.

However, the 2010 Quadrennial

Defense Review saw the initiation of

a new program to increase the total

number of MH-47Gs for use by the

U.S. SOCOM from 61 to 69 aircraft.

■ TRAINING | MAINTENANCE

Elbit Maintains IAF Bell 206, Cobra Trainers The Israel Ministry of Defense has

issued two contract extensions to

Elbit Systems involving the operation

and maintenance of the Israel Air

Force (IAF) Flight Academy’s fleet

of Bell 206s, AH-1A Cobras and

fixed-wing Hawker Beechcraft T-6s.

The contracts were included in a

December agreement with the MoD

valued at around $315 million.

Under a contract that dates back

to 2004, Elbit supplies power-by-the-

hour (PBH) logistics and mainte-

nance support for the Bell 206s and

Cobras. A second agreement, first

signed in 2009, covers maintenance

for the T-6 trainers. Both contracts

will start in 2014 when the current

arrangement expires.

[email protected] BLRaerospace.com/4843 | 425.405.4843

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It’s EASA-certified for Bell 212s and certification on

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aftermarket retrofit, and has been selected by

Bell Helicopter for new Bell 412EPs.

How good is FastFin? Just ask Bell Helicopter.

Visit us at Heli-Expo, Exhibit N3724.

IAF Flight Academy training fleet.

Photo courtesy of Elbit Systems


Rotorcraft Report

■ SERVICES | CERTIFICATION

Australia Certifies Civil Ka-32A11BC Australia is the latest country to give the increasingly popular

Kamov Ka-32A11BC a certificate of airworthiness, making it the

first Russian-made helicopter to achieve such approval. Civilian

operators can now use it in a variety of roles including search and

rescue (SAR), firefighting and for industrial work requiring sling-

loads. The Ka-32A11BC is the latest civil variant of the old Ka-27

(Helix), which was originally produced for the Russian Navy and

is still in service with military forces around the world including

China, Vietnam, Taiwan and India.

The Ka-32A11BC is the version certified by Canada (1998)

and Europe and has Klimov TV3-117MA engines. According to

Russian Helicopters, the aircraft received certification in China,

Indonesia and South Korea in 2008 and a year later was granted

its European airworthiness certificate from the European Avia-

tion Safety Agency (EASA). Two years later it was also certified in

India and Brazil.

The helicopter is now being used for a variety of tasks in different nations: haul-

ing cargo sling loads for Brazilian operator Helipark Taxi Aero as well as Heliswiss

in Switzerland; SAR in Kazakhstan; and SAR and firefighting in Spain. In August

2012, the Russian Emergencies Ministry (EMERCOM) received the last of five

aircraft that can be outfitted for SAR, firefighting and medical missions. A spokes-

man says the variant has been successfully deployed in Rus-

sia, Canada, Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, China, Austria,

South Korea, Indonesia and Japan.

The Australian helicopter market could hold good

prospects for Russian Helicopters, as the constant need

for multi-functional and reliable specialized helicopters

is acutely felt in this country. The Ka-32A11BC is the

first Russian-made helicopter to receive airworthiness

certification in Australia.

www.helimart.com

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Today, we celebrate 40 years of providing extraordinary service, support and parts for MD 500, Bell, Eurocopter and Schweizer helicopters.

Call on us anytime, day or night, and discover what has made us one of the industry’s most-trusted names.

■ MILITARY | TECHNOLOGY

Telephonics Radar to Serve MQ-8B Northrop Grumman Aerospace

Systems has chosen the Telephonics

Corp. AN/ZPY-4(V)1 surveillance

radar as part of the U.S. Navy’s Rapid

Deployment Capability program

for the MQ-8B Fire Scout vertical

takeoff and landing tactical UAV. The

radar is configured for intelligence,

surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR)

operations from both land and sea-

based platforms.


Riverside Chooses Becker Audio

Riverside County Sheriff ’s Department

is planning to install Becker Avionics’

DVCS6100 digital audio control system

in four Eurocopter AS350s and a fixed-

wing Cessna 182P that is used as a

surveillance aircraft. The helicopters

will receive avionics modifications

to replace legac y systems with

Becker’s digital intercom. Riverside

Sheriff ’s Department covers an area

of more than 7,200 square miles in

California.

Ka-32A11BC.

Russia

n H

elic

op

ters


Aspen Avionics Evolution 1500H and NVG Modifications from Aero DynamixAero Dynamix, Inc. is the industry leader and principle innovator of integrated Night

Vision Imaging Systems (NVIS) solutions for commercial and military aircraft. ADI is

a full line distributor and certified repair station for Aspen Avionics and offers internal

NVG instrument modifications for Aspen products that do not compromise on the

Aspen factory warranty. Featured here is the Evolution 1500H Package, which combines

the powerful, award-winning Pro PFD 1000H with the versatile MFD 500H to deliver a

full-featured, exceptionally easy-to-use glass panel. The Pro PFD 1000H provides

professional-grade EFIS primary flight instruments, with a full-featured electronic HSI

with moving map. The MFD 500H adds photo-quality moving maps, terrain awareness, geo-referenced charts and airport

diagrams, and (with optional or existing sensors) traffic displays, WX500 Stormscope display, and the full suite of XM WX

aviation weather products. Contact Aero Dynamix today at [email protected] for more information or to request

a quote. Aero Dynamix has a wide array of optional equipment with the best prices and exceptional customer support for all

your Night Vision requirements. Let Aero Dynamix be your one-stop-shop for night vision solutions. For more information

visit www.aerodynamix.com

DAC International Offers DMA Aero MPS43 ADTSDAC International is proud to showcase the DMA Aero MPS43 Air Data Test Set (ADTS).

The MPS43 is a low cost, lightweight (8.8 lbs), portable, high accuracy fully automatic test

set. This makes the unit perfect for helicopter operators utilizing today’s newer avionics.

The unit comes standard with a 30-minute backup battery and ADWIN PC control

software so the operator is able to use and capture data on a laptop if desired. The MPS43

has ultra low speed (5 to 200 KNTS) for improved accuracy and stability. Options include

a Gray Code Altitude Device read out and an external six-hour battery pack for off airport

operation. For more information please contact DAC International at [email protected], by phone at 1-512-331-5323 or

on the web at www.dacint.com

HEATCON Designs Affordable Option for Aerospace Companies Struggling to Perform Costly Composite Repairs

While the repair of many composite structures may typically be performed

using only hot bonders, the vacuum-generated pressure may not reach a

sufficient level for more complex repairs, which could require 50 psi or higher. The patented, easy-to-use RepairClave provides

aerospace facilities with the capability to perform these higher-pressure repairs at a much lower price than that of a traditional

autoclave. With the absence of inert gases typically required for the pressure application process, the RepairClave provides a

safer, more environmentally friendly alternative at a fraction of the cost. Heatcon’s portable autoclave combines heat blanket

technology with one pressure zone and multiple heater control zones to provide even air pressure and localized heat. Instead

of heating the entire autoclave pressure vessel in order to achieve the temperature needed for curing a component, localized

heat is applied by the same silicone rubber heat blankets used in the hot bonder repair. Only the actual repair area is heated,

and since the volume of air inside the RepairClave does not reach cure temperatures, the use of an inert gas is not required.

The RepairClave keeps things as simple as possible while still meeting required composite material curing specifications. In

addition, some aerospace experts consider autoclaves to be overkill for most repair scenarios, but very appropriate for the

RepairClave. HEATCON designed the RepairClave to be portable to appeal to aerospace firms with expanding operations,

and to have added flexibility in shop floor layouts. RepairClaves are currently being used by helicopter manufacturers,

universities, aerospace companies and others. Find out more at www.heatcon.com

for Helicopter Operators


PRODUCTS | AIRFRAMES

During an update session

with Larry Timmesch, vice

president of Commercial

Programs at Bell Helicop-

ter, along with David King, chief

engineer on the Bell 525 Relentless, it

became apparent that the company is

committed to bringing the Relentless

into the “super-medium” twin market.

The first helicopter build is set to take

place during second quarter 2013

in Amarillo, Texas. The first flight is

scheduled for mid-2014. Timmesch

states that Bell has a yet-unspecified

first delivery date and that orders will

be taken after the first flight.

As of June, the 525 is locked into

the preliminary design phase for the

basic configuration and interfaces. Ama-

rillo was selected as the manufacturing

site, with Fort Worth designated as the

flight test facility. The manufacturer

has assembled modular build teams for

defined areas of construction such as

rotor systems, control systems, engine

selection/installation, landing gear, cabin

layout and cockpit configuration. Weight

has also been set, though Bell doesn’t plan

to release those figures for a while. All

major suppliers are on board and some

parts are already being built within the

supply chain and at the factory.

Relentless will be the first commer-

cial production helicopter that is 100

percent fly-by-wire. The flight control

system (FCS) is a real focal point for

Bell. In a sense, it will be acting as the

“brain” of the helicopter by using its

three computer control modules to

sense and direct all control inputs,

resulting in a highly stabilized flight in

all axes. This is referred to as transla-

tional rate control (TRC) and is not to

be confused with an autopilot. Perhaps

a highly refined SAS would more aptly

describe it.

Works in ProgressThe FCS has completed initial develop-

ment and is undergoing link up con-

figuration with the 525 input controls.

Fort Worth, Texas-based manufacturer sets

sights on first flight during mid-2014.

By Pat Gray

BELL 525 PROGRE

FOCUS ON RELENTLESS S

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The avionics suite is the Garmin

G5000H that uses touchscreen tech-

nology similar to smart phones. The

menu selections are accessed through

icons that look like Aps. There are

three multifunction display (MFD)

screens and the Garmin system is

already set up in the mockup and in

the simulator for testing purposes.

Bell has chosen the General Electric

CT7 engine (1800 shp) and there are no

plans for substitute engines.

All design and structural plans

are digital using 3D virtual screens at

every manufacturing and assembly

point in the factory. There are no paper

drawings. The helicopter is now in the

detailed design phase and many of the

digital drawings have been approved

and released.

A systems integration lab (SIL) is

up and running. This engineering unit

integrates all the systems that will be

a part of the production aircraft and

Bell 525

GRESS CONTINUES:

S SYSTEMS & SIMULATORS

Bell 525 Relentless in the hangar at the

manufacturer’s facility in Amarillo, Texas.


PRODUCTS | AIRFRAMES

is now functioning doing preliminary

testing of the flight controls, the avion-

ics system and the tail rotor system.

A simulator cabin (SimCab) is

also up and running for control law

and math model development. This

differs from the SIL. The SimCab

reproduces most of the research done

in the SIL. This cabin is a cockpit

mockup with a 358-degree field

of vision that is programmed for

several scenarios such as offshore

and HEMS and is flown just like any

other simulator. At present it is used

to validate SIL programs concerned

with the fly-by-wire control modules

and the Garmin Avionics suite and

how they will relate to actual flight

through the TRC process. As devel-

opment progresses, the SimCab will

become more sophisticated to the

point where the initial test pilots will

have considerable experience with David King (left) and Larry Timmesch in front of the Bell 525 display in PHI colors.

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flight performance prior to the first

test aircraft leaving the ground.

The engineers allowed me to take

a brief flight in the simulator and I

chose the offshore configuration.

It was an interesting experience.

One example: while completing an

approach to an offshore helideck,

the simulator engineer, Nick Walton,

said to note when my forward motion

stopped over the deck. He then had

me release all the controls and the

simulator remained motionless over

the deck at hover height. Using the

collective beep button, I gently low-

ered the simulator to the deck and

by reversing the input, raised it back

to hover height. This was an early

example of what Bell refers to as

translational rate control. The dem-

onstration model is still being refined

but it will be an integral part of the

production aircraft. The standard

cockpit configuration will have a

side-mounted cyclic control (as does

the simulator) that allows for reduced

stress, especially on long flights.

Prior to finalizing the design,

Bell solicited input from a cross sec-

tion of large operators designating

them as the customer advisory panel

(CAP). They have assisted in the

design process by relating to their

field experience with legacy helicop-

ters, especially in the areas of easing

maintenance access to components,

writing of maintenance manuals and

procedures and defining the necessary

from the unnecessary throughout the

design. Engineering groups from Bell

have also gone out into the field to moni-

tor some of the problems and solutions

the operators deal with every day. Tim-

mesch feels that the two-way feedback

should result in a better product and bet-

ter aftermarket communication.

The Bell 525 Relentless is on sched-

ule and appears to on track toward the

Bell Helicopter’s goal to provide a user

friendly, safe, comfortable long-range

helicopter for the 21st century.

Cyclic in the Bell 525 Relentless along with

Garmin display panel.

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Bell 525


COMMERCIAL | Q&A

As part of our ongo-

ing series of interviews

with the top executives

of the major helicopter

manufacturers, Rotor & Wing

conducted an exclusive inter-

view with American Eurocopter

President & CEO Marc Paganini

that covered a wide range of topics,

including the company’s entry in

the U.S. Army’s Armed Aerial Scout

(AAS) program, the 2012 U.S. sum-

mer tour of the X3 (X-cubed) and the

outlook for 2013 and beyond.

Rotor & Wing: How was business for

the company in 2012 and what does the

picture look like for 2013 and beyond?

Paganini: This year we’re going to

produce about 100 aircraft in Missis-

sippi. Half of them are for the UH-72A

Lakota program, the light utility heli-

copter (LUH) for the U.S. Army, while

the remaining [AS350] AStar B3s

and B2s are for the U.S. public service

sector—representing a small increase

over last year. The market has been a

little better on the commercial side in

the U.S. in 2012 compared to 2011. The

prediction is about the same overall.

Rotor & Wing: What is the outlook

for the commercial market?

Paganini: We expect the market to

continue to grow on the com-

mercial side. It started to rebound

at the end of 2011 and this contin-

ued through 2012. We expect to

get back on track by 2014 to the

levels pre-financial crisis. Strong

markets like EMS are driving the

recovery. EMS is a market that’s

usually slow to grow, but there’s a lot of

fleet renewal [possibilities].

Re p l a c i n g o l d B K- 1 1 7 s , o l d

BO-105s, old Dauphins—this is driven

by replacement and a little growth, but

not strong growth.

The oil and gas market is very

promising in the Gulf of Mexico. This

year the activity has grown significant-

ly, and this is a market that will require

large aircraft.

Police and law enforcement is slowly

coming back. It’s been one of the most

Q&A WITH MAIn an exclusive interview covering a number of

topics including Armed Aerial Scout,

R&D and improvements in safety,

American Eurocopter

CEO predicts that the

commercial helicopter market

will bounce back by late 2014.

By Andrew Parker, Editor-in-Chief

American Eurocopter CEO Marc Paganini at the

company’s Heli-Expo 2012 press conference.

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important markets after the economic

crisis because of the financial situations

of the municipalities. Now the overall

situation is improving a little bit, and

we’re starting to see some good oppor-

tunities in law enforcement, mainly for

light-single engine aircraft but also a

few for twin-engine helicopters.

For corporate/VIP, the year has not

been too bad. It follows the economy

and the profit of the companies, so

hopefully the economy will continue to

grow. It’s not obvious yet but it’s com-

ing back slowly and we expect it to be

active during 2013.

Rotor & Wing: What market sectors

will experience the most demand in the

next two to three years?

Paganini: In the U.S. market, we

expect the oil and gas sector to be very

strong, and EMS to remain quite solid.

We expect the law enforcement market

to come back. We already started to see

that this year, and think that over the

next two years we should see a strong

rebound from law enforcement. Busi-

ness has picked up with the tour opera-

tors—places like Las Vegas and Hawaii

are doing well. We’ve sold a lot of

EC130T2s to tour operators. In corpo-

rate/VIP, if the economy continues to

recover and corporate profits hold, we

should see this market start to bounce

back. Another market that we’re look-

ing at is the utility market, which at this

point has a lot of very old helicopters

set to retire because of safety reasons

and operational/maintenance costs, so

there will be a need soon for new air-

craft. Then there’s firefighting, disaster

relief and other sectors like wind farm

support that can be counted among the

utility missions that are very interesting

and developing.

Overall, that is why our objective of

getting back to the levels of pre-crisis by

late 2014 should be achievable.

Rotor & Wing: How does American

Eurocopter work with operators to

improve safety?

Paganini: The number one prior-

ity for us is safety. We’ve worked very

hard to improve safety not only in the

design and operation of the aircraft,

but also the equipment and the train-

ing. We work with customers on their

SMS [safety management system]

programs to increase the level of safety.

For example, we have developed a full-

motion flight simulator in order to have

the pilot train in any flight condition

Paganini Interview

MARC PAGANINI

American Eurocopter displayed a Lewis Energy-operated EC145 in Orlando to showcase the

corporate/VIP market during the NBAA Convention from Oct. 30 to Nov. 1, 2012.

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COMMERCIAL | Q&A

that would happen—many of which

you don’t want to involve an actual heli-

copter, but can accomplish in a flight

simulator. We have also invested a lot

in maintenance training, both in real

helicopters and we’re also starting to

offer web-based training.

We have also launched Vision 1000,

which is an image recall and flight data

monitoring system [developed with

Appareo Systems]. It’s a simple, inex-

pensive device that is good for collect-

ing information about what happens

in the cockpit. We made it standard on

the AS350 line, the EC130 and we plan

to on the EC120. We’re looking at put-

ting it on the EC135 and EC145 as well.

It’s a very useful tool. When you have an

issue during a flight, Vision 1000 allows

you to come back afterward and figure

out what happened.

In 2007, we created a safety award,

Vision Zero, to promote a higher level

of safety within the air medical indus-

try. So we’re spreading our core mes-

sage that American Eurocopter is seri-

ous about safety.

Rotor & Wing: What is the latest from

the Eurocopter Training Center?

Paganini: We’ve invested in simula-

tors for the AS350, as well as for the

EC135/145. On the AS350, we decided

to do something that has never been

done before. It’s the first full flight simu-

lator for a light single-engine aircraft,

and also, instead of just having the

cockpit, we included the full cabin. So

we can train the crew and the observ-

ers at the same time as the pilot, which

is unique.

Annually, we train upwards of 1,900

to 2,000 pilots and about 900 mainte-

nance personnel.

Rotor & Wing: What improve-

ments are being made in aftermarket

support?

Paganini: Support and services

account for about 30 percent of our

overall activity. It’s an important part

of the business, and a part that we’re

seeking to grow. We want more activity

in that area and we’re looking at what

kinds of services that customers are

looking for, such as maintenance plan-

ning, spares, training, and so on. This is

also an activity where we’re examining

possible acquisitions in the U.S.

Rotor & Wing: How much does

American Eurocopter plan to invest in

R&D, outside of the parent company

Eurocopter?

Paganini: At American Eurocopter

our R&D is mainly going to the devel-

opment of the prototype for [the U.S.

Army] Armed Aerial Scout (AAS) pro-

gram [with EADS North America]. All

the development of this prototype and

this partnership with Lockheed Martin

was handled here in Grand Prairie.

We have also developed a new ver-

sion of the LUH [UH-72A light utility

helicopter] in the Security & Support

(S&S) Battalion configuration for the

U.S. Army National Guard. We are

also doing STCs [supplemental type

certificates]—that’s what we do here in

the U.S. More and more, we are build-

ing up the capability to not only devel-

op STCs but to do some design work,

major aircraft modifications, of for the

first time we were given responsibility

to do a prototype for Eurocopter.

The main R&D work in terms of

development of new technology and

programs, demonstrators, larger air-

craft, is of course done in Europe, both

in Germany and France. Today we

remain in a plan that started in 2010

stretching out to 2014 where we are

investing $1.7 billion to do what I just

said—we have launched the EC130 T2,

the EC145 T2, and the EC175.

We are working on the X4 suc-

cessor to the Dauphin, and we have

this technology demonstrator, the X3

(X-cubed) testing composite, new

blades. We’re also working on a diesel

engine-powered helicopter.

Rotor & Wing: What was the feed-

back like from the U.S. tour of the X3 in

summer 2012?

Paganini: Of course the operators

like the speed, but what they also liked

is that the speed was not a tradeoff

against cost, because we say we’re going

to get 50 percent more speed but with

an increase in life cycle costs of 20 to

25 percent. This is important because

speed must be affordable, and this is

why we decided to go to a speed in the

range of 230 knots. We do not believe

that going to higher speeds is what the

market needs or is willing to pay for.

The second thing that was very

important is that it’s still a helicopter,

and then if you want to go fast, you go

fast. You don’t lose any of the attributes

of the helicopter, such as hovering,

which are needed in many of the heli-

copter markets. Otherwise you go to

Air medical provider MedFlight of Ohio received the

2012 Eurocopter Vision Zero award.

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31FeBRUaRY 2013 | RotoR & Wing magazineW W W. R o t o R a n d W i n g . c o m

Paganini Interview

fixed-wing. The combination of speed and classic capabilities of a helicopter were very well received, and the mili-tary pilots were impressed as well.

We decided to do something that had never been done in the past, to actually put some representatives of different market segments in the air-craft—let them take the controls, fly in

it, and tell us if we’re going in the right direction. Is this what you want to have in 7 or 10 years, to fulfill your mission, to get some business, and so on.

We felt comfortable doing that because it’s a game changer, it’s a hybrid high-speed, but using so much already developed known technology. The response of the operators who flew

it has been amazing. They were all really impressed by the simplicity of the concept.

Rotor & Wing: What role do you see unmanned aircraft playing in the future?Paganini: Unmanned isn’t going to just be military, it will have commercial applications as well. The military is look-ing at unmanned aircraft for cargo. For example, they need to transport cargo from one place to another—that can be done by an unmanned helicopter. Cargo in civil aviation could be the same.

It’s not going to take away [from manned pilot operation]—in fact, it’s going to help with missions that would have otherwise been too dangerous for pilots to fly, especially on the military side. Let’s be practical, it’s going to take some time before we see a large application of unmanned aircraft. It’s going to be really focused on specific missions in the beginning.

• Explore the latest in airborne technology, tactics& techniques.• Learn from a one-of-a-kind educational lineupduring pre-conference courses & conference classes.• Network with pilots, TFOs, technicians & managers.

Register Now www.alea.org 301.631.2406

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for public safety aviation.

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for public safety aviation.

Orlando2013_Rotor_ad_Layout 2 1/8/13 1:46 PM Page 1

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October 2012 handover of the first EC130T2 to Maverick Helicopters, including Maverick’s John Buch and John Mandernach (center L-R), and Marc Paganini (second from right).

09_RW_0213_Paganini_p28-31.indd 31 1/23/13 2:44:51 PM


COMMERCIAL | EVENT COVERAGE

The Las Vegas Convention

Center is the venue for Heli-

Expo 2013, the annual gath-

ering of the worldwide heli-

copter industry, hosted by Alexan-

dria, Va.-based Helicopter Associa-

tion International (HAI). Thousands

of attendees, hundreds

of vendors, and dozens of helicop-

ters will converge in Nevada from

March 4-7.

HAI President Matt Zuccaro says

that Heli-Expo, the world’s largest heli-

copter tradeshow, is “the one thing that

brings the entire international helicop-

ter community

together in one

place, offering

an opportunity

to me et w ith

peers , poten-

tial customers,

regulators and

lawmakers.”

As of two

months prior

to event, the

planners of

H e l i - E x p o

were expect-

ing at least

700 exhibi-

t o r s , w h o

will display

all varieties

o f r o t o r-

craft parts,

crew sup-

plies and

s e r v i c e s . T h i s

includes 47 exhibi-

tors who plan to display aircraft within

the cavernous convention center.

“Last year in Dallas, we had 60

helicopters on display on the exhibit

floor,” reports Zuccaro, an experienced

helicopter pilot himself. “We expect a

similar number this year.”

AgustaWestland, Bell, Enstrom,

Eurocopter, Kaman, MD Helicopters,

Robinson, Russian Helicopters, and

Sikorsky will have large displays, com-

plete with models and production ver-

sions of their aircraft for visitor inspec-

tion, as well as engineering, support

and sales personnel ready to answer

questions. Each manufacturer will also

host a technical briefing, where opera-

tors can get the latest information on

the aircraft they fly, and seek solutions

for even the most complicated issues.

In addition, the Helicopter Founda-

tion International will once again host

a display of historical aircraft, confirms

Zuccaro. Last year in Dallas, the foun-

dation’s exhibit area included a pristine

Army OH-13—the military version of

the Bell 47 “fish bowl” helicopter—in

Korean War-era medevac livery; a

Russian Mil Mi-24 “Hind” gunship;

and an Army Bell UH-1 Huey from the

Vietnam era.

Engine manufacturers including

Pratt & Whitney Canada, Rolls-Royce

HAI’S HELIEXPO

HEADS TO

The exhibit hall is a virtual shopping mall of helicopters, components,

avionics, services and supplies. Equipment, such as this FTD from

Elite, can be compared before making purchase decisions.

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More than 20,000 expected at 2013 version of the world’s largest helicopter tradeshow.By Ernie Stephens, Editor-at-Large


and Turbomeca will have examples of

their powerplants on display, as well as

technical data. Engineers will be onsite

to answer questions, as will the design-

ers of many other components, avion-

ics and diagnostic equipment.

Heli-Expo is frequently used as

the backdrop for the introduction of

cutting-edge products. In 2012, Bell

unveiled the prototype of its new

525 “Relentless” super-medium heli-

copter. A few hundred feet away in

the Eurocopter display area, attendees

were also treated to their first look at

the Eurocopter EC130T2, the com-

pany’s latest variation of its successful

single-engine EC130 platform.

As usual, Heli-Expo will be preced-

ed by a week of training sessions at or

near the convention center. Beginning

Feb. 28 and running through March

4, helicopter-industry professionals—

both novice and veteran—will be able

to attend courses covering a variety

of subjects. Some of the topics in the

area of maintenance include flight

data monitoring, troubleshooting and

FAA Part 21 certification. Manage-

ment courses will include leadership in

aviation, project management and heli-

copter fleet

financing. Some of the safety

courses offered will be accident inves-

tigation, safety management systems

and SMS manual development. Pilot-

specific courses will delve into human

factors, powerline avoidance,

inadvertent IMC, and the heavily

attended flight instructor refresher

course.

New this year is the Rotor Safety

Challenge, adds Zuccaro. “[It will

be] a series of short courses offered

during the show itself that are free to

all attendees.”

T h e e n t i re c o u r s e

schedule is posted on HAI’s website

at www.rotor.com.

Heli-Expo Preview

O

O LAS VEGAS

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The show floor gives visitors the chance to

examine various helicopter models, including

this Sikorsky S-92 at the 2012 show.

Heli-Expo attendees can expect to see new

aircraft and products for the first time.


www.vtol.org/forumAHS International – The Vertical Flight Technical Society

217 N. Washington St. • Alexandria, VA • 22314-2538 • USATel: (703) 684-6777 • Toll Free (855) AHS-INTL • Fax: (703) 739-9279 • Email: [email protected]

Since 1943, AHS International has worked to advancethe development of worldwide vertical flight technology.

• Select from over 200+ technical presentations on thelatest breakthroughs and accomplishments in aircraftdesign, aerodynamics, propulsion, avionics, crashsafety, test & evaluation, simulation, unmannedrotorcraft, wind energy technology and many othertopics.

• Hear the latest from leading military and industryspeakers, including the CEOs of the major helicoptermanufacturers.

• Attend the Short Course on Rotorcraft and WindTurbine Modeling and Simulation presented by MarkDreier, Bell Helicopter Textron.

• Listen to the Nikolsky Lecture “On Blade Control ofRotor Vibration, Noise and Performance – Just Aroundthe Corner?” by Professor Peretz Friedmann.

• Network at the Vertical Flight Foundation Receptionand honor your peers at the Annual AHS AwardsBanquet.

• Explore the Exhibit Hall to find the latest in verticalflight technology.

• Take advantage of the opportunity to participate intechnical committee meetings and gain insight intothe future of vertical flight technology.

Ad

vancing Vertical Flight Technology in Demandin

g Envi

ronm

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May 21-23, 2013 • Phoenix, AZ“Advancing Vertical Flight Technology in

Demanding Environments”

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vertical flight experts and see the latestbreakthroughs in vertical flight technology.

The Biggest and Best Vertical Flight Technology Conference in the World!

AHS International 69th Annual Forum &

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COMMERCIAL | EVENT COVERAGE

Forums and committees that

address important issues in the

rotorcraft community are held dur-

ing the convention. Subjects include

government regulations, heliport

design and flight safety. According to

Zuccaro, this year’s keynote speakers

will be from “the halls of Congress

and the executive offices of the FAA

and the National Transportation

Safety Board.”

The annual Salute to Excellence

dinner will be held on the evening

of March 6, at which time HAI

will recognize those individuals—

and often groups—who have made

noteworthy contributions to the

helicopter community. The eight

honors are the AgustaWestland

Safety award, the Bell Helicopter

Lifetime Achievement award, the

Eurocopter Golden Hour award, the

MD Helicopters Law Enforcement

award, the Rolls-Royce Excellence

in Helicopter Maintenance award,

the Sikorsky Humanitarian Service

award, the Excellence in Communi-

cations award, and the Pilot of the

Year award.

On the last day of the event, a

crowd always gathers outside of

the venue to watch the fly-out. The

air show-like atmosphere centers

around the departure of the display

aircraft as they liftoff one by one

from the adjacent parking lot to

return to their home bases.

The common denominator of

Heli-Expo remains its ability to bring

all facets of the rotorcraft world

together for several days of exposure

to the latest news, lessons and prod-

ucts the industry has to offer, as well

as to network with colleagues whom

attendees might not otherwise get

to exchange ideas and experienc-

es with. Each day, breakfasts and

afterhours events are held in and

around the venue that allow every-

one from CEOs to student pilots to

get to know each other and establish

relationships that benefit the rotor-

craft universe.

HAI anticipates that more than

20,000 people will attend Heli-Expo

this year. The admission price for

three days of the convention and

exposition varies.

“We offer professional develop-

ment courses and other educa-

tional opportunities you’re just not

going to find anywhere else,” says

Zuccaro. “As I hear in my travels,

‘Heli-Expo is the one event you

cannot miss if you are in the helicop-

ter industry.’”

AgustaWestland booth at Heli-Expo 2012. The majority of aircraft on display at Heli-Expo are open for close inspection. And it is not uncommon

to find the company CEO nearby and available to anyone who wishes to ask a question or share a comment.

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www.vtol.org/forumAHS International – The Vertical Flight Technical Society

217 N. Washington St. • Alexandria, VA • 22314-2538 • USATel: (703) 684-6777 • Toll Free (855) AHS-INTL • Fax: (703) 739-9279 • Email: [email protected]

Since 1943, AHS International has worked to advancethe development of worldwide vertical flight technology.

• Select from over 200+ technical presentations on thelatest breakthroughs and accomplishments in aircraftdesign, aerodynamics, propulsion, avionics, crashsafety, test & evaluation, simulation, unmannedrotorcraft, wind energy technology and many othertopics.

• Hear the latest from leading military and industryspeakers, including the CEOs of the major helicoptermanufacturers.

• Attend the Short Course on Rotorcraft and WindTurbine Modeling and Simulation presented by MarkDreier, Bell Helicopter Textron.

• Listen to the Nikolsky Lecture “On Blade Control ofRotor Vibration, Noise and Performance – Just Aroundthe Corner?” by Professor Peretz Friedmann.

• Network at the Vertical Flight Foundation Receptionand honor your peers at the Annual AHS AwardsBanquet.

• Explore the Exhibit Hall to find the latest in verticalflight technology.

• Take advantage of the opportunity to participate intechnical committee meetings and gain insight intothe future of vertical flight technology.

Ad

vancing Vertical Flight Technology in Demanding E

nviro

nmen

ts

May 21-23, 2013 • Phoenix, AZ“Advancing Vertical Flight Technology in

Demanding Environments”

This is your best opportunity to network with the world's leading

vertical flight experts and see the latestbreakthroughs in vertical flight technology.

The Biggest and Best Vertical Flight Technology Conference in the World!

AHS International 69th Annual Forum &

Technology Display

AHS F69ad_trim7.875x10.75_RotorWingTechSess_ROTOR ads 1/8/2013 1:08 PM Page 1


PRODUCTS | AVIONICS

Concept for fixed-wing fighter

aircraft configuration of Elbit’s

CockpitNG, which also has a

helicopter version.

Elb

it S

yste

ms


Elbit’s Vision

Elbit Systems has carved a niche for itself in the military aviation

market through some shrewd acquisitions and joint ventures. But

will these specialist skills be enough to take it forward at

a similar pace? By Andrew Drwiega, Military Editor

Elbit Systems of America (ESA) helmet-

mounted display (HMD).

Software, sensors and iPads.

Raanan Horowitz, president

and chief executive officer

of Elbit Systems of America

(ESA), covers all three in the first five

minutes of our conversation during

last year’s annual Army exposition,

AUSA, in Washington, D.C. The

way ahead for rotorcraft innovation,

he confirms, is the simplification of

technology with the integration of

systems in a user-friendly way.

Horowitz believes that avionics sys-

tems, particularly button driven digital

displays, need to adapt to how the civil

market has developed products such as

the iPad, and how ease of use has led to

a large market surge for them.

“When you look at the technol-

ogy around iPhone/iPad you see the

convergence into one device of what

you used to do with multiple devices—

phone, computer, even your daily

newspaper. What we said was that

for a fighter aircraft or helicopter,

let’s do the same thing. The issue is

the convergence and fusion of all

these things. You take all the sen-

sor information and implications

and you bring it to a screen and

present it with a man-machine

interface that is very intuitive—as

that is what young, new, upcom-

ing pilots expect. It is time to

take advantage of the fact that

everybody now uses these devices

so why not bring them to the screen

in the helicopter cockpit.” Touchscreen

displays such as those in the latest

CockpitNG offering are part of his

company’s answer.

Finding Solutions Beyond the Fiscal Crisis

As the defense industry in the United

States exhales following the govern-

ment’s temporary step-back from the

“fiscal cliff ” edge, it is more like a few

gasps in preparation for what may

be yet to come. Although it is the

American global corporations

that may be better pre-

pared to weather

the storm

through

t h e i r

diverse market offering, what of those

with foreign heritage that become

established within the U.S. defense

sector with the prime reason of gaining

market share?

Elb

it S

yste

ms


Horowitz’ ESA is one such organi-

zation with strong links to the helicop-

ter market, although not exclusively by

a good measure. ESA was established

in 1980 as a subsidiary of Elbit Systems

Ltd, (listed on the U.S. NASDAQ and

Israeli TASE stock exchanges). Elbit

has grown into a $1 billion company

of which around $300 million derives

from its airborne business, of which

ESA plays a significant role.

The relationship with Elbit in Israel

is governed by the same rules that apply

to other companies that can trace a

foreign heritage. “If we have an Israeli

teammate come over to us, we have to

put a visit request in seven days ahead

of time stating what we want to talk

about. BAE Systems have the same

systems,” said Robert Waage, ESA’s

director of business development for

Airborne Solutions. There is a legal

separation that is designed to provide

assurances of sensitive information.

Waage makes no secret of the

importance of the U.S. market to the

entire Elbit organization: “Thirty per-

cent of our business is dependent on

the U.S. defense sector, even more

than the 21 percent represented by

the Israeli market.” The Europe market

accounts for 25 percent “with the rest of

the world is slightly behind that figure

at 24 percent.”

As with the rest of the defense indus-

try, those responsible for the future

development of Elbit have been watch-

ing developing markets with oppor-

tunities identified in South America

and Asia; Brazil and India, respectively

although there is also promise

in others including Australia

and Korea (where the compa-

ny won a $62-million contract

last year to upgrade the mili-

tary’s C-130 fleet including its

own glass cockpit digital flight

displays).

Kelly Dameron is vice

president of Airborne Solu-

tions and sees the current

challenges over defense bud-

geting reflecting in the new

attitudes to business strate-

gies, particularly the pressure to con-

tinue corporate growth: “It is tough

to integrate acquisitions. Resources

in companies are thinner than before.

To survive and flourish, organizations

need to be more agile and flexible than

ever before and become more general-

ist to execute opportunities arise.”

He comments on the progres-

sive expansion of ESA in Fort Worth.

“The company has grown quickly:

we learned engineering in the 1980s

and business development in the 90s.

Without doubt having a partner com-

pany in Israel has been of significant

benefit to ESA, especially with their

military forces operating similar weap-

ons systems, such as the Apache and

Cobra helicopters.” Both he and Waage

independently point to a change of

direction not only in ESA’s business

structure but also how the rest of the

industry is viewing them.

“We carved ourselves a place on

the block with the Apache IHADSS

HMD-EM Tracker and Central Mis-

sion Processor. ESA moved from sup-

plier to strategic partner,” stated Waage.

The M142 integrated helmet and

display sight system (IHDSS) has been

an integral part of the Boeing Apache’s

systems since the U.S. Army intro-

duced the attack helicopter in 1984.

The IHADSS integrates the flight crew

with the aircraft’s systems through a

monocular eyepiece. By using electro-

magnetic tracker technology in con-

junction with weapon sensors in the

aircraft’s nose the flight crew is able to

utilize head movements for increased

tactical situational awareness (Heads

up, eyes out).

Dameron observes that in complet-

ing the acquisition from Honeywell for

helmet display products, although ESA

didn’t have a large workforce initially it

focused on spreading best practice and

blending an understanding of opera-

tional requirements with technical

development.

Another important step for ESA

came in 1996, when Elbit and Rockwell

Collins created a joint venture compa-

ny called Vision Systems International

(VSI). Together with Helmet Integrat-

ed Systems, they produced the helmet-

mounted display system (HMDS)

for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter deliv-

ering to the pilot day/night and the

Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing System

(JHMCS) for the U.S. tactical jet fleets.

In 2012, VSI was awarded $32 million

to supply Boeing with its joint helmet

mounted cueing system (JHMCS) for

foreign military sales (FMS) to coun-

tries that included Finland, Australia,

Belgium, Canada and Switzerland.

Elbit is also ambitious about its day/

night degraded visual environment

(DVE) solution, JedEyes wide field-of-

view helmet system and QuadEye night

vision cueing and display (NVCD).

Horowitz said that the U.S. Army

recently flew with the prototype JedEye

helmet: “The Army funded their part

and Boeing brought in their helicopter

and we gave feedback to both—that is

what we like to do.” With brownout still

an ever-present danger to helicopter

aviators, and with aircraft being lost on

a regular basis, a solution to the prob-

lem is high on the Army’s priorities.

Rotary OpportunitiesWaage believes that the Armed Aerial

Scout (AAS) competition will be a keen

one with America Eurocopter push-

ing hard. “We have the entire cockpit

on the EC configuration, and on the

MD540F we have the helmet display.

But we supply across many of the com-

petitive OEMs.”

ESA also has a keen interest in anoth-

er Army program, one that focuses on

Panoramic HD large area display from Elbit Systems.

Elbit

PRODUCTS | AVIONICS


the UH-60L

Black Hawk

c o c k p i t

dig it i z ation

update. “The

U.S. Army is

looking at a

UH-60L cock-

pit digitization

upgrade for

part of their fleet. While the eventual

aim is to have 800 UH-60 Mike mod-

els, the M-like L models will be more

digitally equipped aircraft in the field

quicker and cut down transition costs in

terms of crew training.”

What many people don’t realize is that

a Mike UH-60 is marginally slower than a

Lima Black Hawk. While newly designed

blades mean the aircraft can carry more,

on average it is around 10 knots slower.

The Mike-like configuration would prob-

ably be slightly faster due to the replace-

ment of analogue systems with digital. A

discussion within the ESA team, several

ex-military pilots such as Dennis MacIn-

tire, director of business development

for Airborne Solutions—an ex CW-5

—regarding the merits of getting to the

action with more time-on-target, while

the Dustoff supporters emphasized the

need for speed to get to and extract back

to base injured servicemen as quickly

as possible.

Last year Boeing’s new Apache E

(previously Block III) began rolling out

to U.S. Army aviation with the promise

of a new ESA developed mission pro-

cessor. The $17.5-million contract over

five years will help to future-proof its

networking and on-board computing

capabilities during the new model’s life-

cycle. Holding the responsibility for the

ongoing upgrade of the nerve center in

the middle of arguably the world’s most

effective and proven attack helicopter

is one that all take pride in.

“The Service and Support busi-

ness unit has also grown to be a major

factor in company turnover,” adds

MacIntire. “Service and Support is one

of our shining stars. We take a look at

systems abandoned by manufacturers

and through reverse engineering we

can breathe new life into them.” Waage

explained the ESA’s business outside

of the US Defense department. “Com-

mercial Aviation Business Unit runs

out of Merrimack, New Hampshire

and their primary market driver is the

Enhanced Vision Systems for business

jets-airline transport platforms allow-

ing them to fly to lower minimum

altitudes when approaching to land.

Another area in which Elbit is

expanding, highlighted by Horowitz,

is that of Homeland Security. It has

submitted a significant proposal to the

U.S. Border Patrol.

Although the company’s involve-

ment in supplying equipment for Isra-

el’s own border protection, particularly

recently, has attracted international

criticism, its lessons learned are fed

back into suggested methods and

technologies that might adopted on

the southern borders of the U.S. “Our

proposal to the Border Patrol for a large

installation of towers, sensors and com-

mand and control and capabilities that

will help monitor that border,” he said.

“What is the initial cost to put those

systems together? It is costly but not

cost prohibitive. But what is the cost

of operation over many years. That is

where I believe we have an advantage

due to the operational concepts we

have developed and capabilities and

I believe we have ways to reduce the

long-term operating costs.”

In conclusion, Horowitz said that

the major challenge facing everyone

in defense was to keep research and

development (R&D) alive, together

with military-industry dialogue that

has resulted in the closer cooperation

between the two while supporting the

wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. He sug-

gested the danger of pullback in both

areas if budget limitations really took

hold—something that would be very

negative from all sides.

Raanan Horowitz.

Elbit’s Vision

ESA


CATEGORY | INFO

Heli-Expo 2013 Preview: Las Vegas 32

Industry Struggles with 2016 Goal 40

Safety Watch: Multiple Levels of Safety 44

The target of cutting helicopter accidents by 80 percent in 2016 will

be missed but the industry keeps striving to improve safety with

new rules, designs and equipment.

By Thierry Dubois, on Twitter: @aerodub

INDUSTRY STRUGGLES WITH 2016 SAFETY GOAL

TRAINING NEWS

Recently released numbers show that

the global helicopter industry will be far

short of its self-assigned, highly ambi-

tious goal of cutting the number of

accidents by 80 percent over the 2006-2016 period,

if current safety trends continue. Therefore, civil

aviation authorities are striving to find new ways to

reach out to pilots and operators, as well as manu-

facturers, to improve a relatively worrying situation.

Means include new rules but also easy-to-read

leaflets. Meanwhile, manufacturers are introduc-

ing new design processes and equipment to do

their share of the effort, it appeared at the annual

Rotorcraft Symposium the European Aviation

Safety Agency (EASA) organized in December in

Cologne, Germany.

Bob Sheffield, a member of the International Helicopter

Safety Team (IHST) and AgustaWestland’s senior advisor

for safety and fleet operational improvement, said that some

regions are going the wrong way in terms of helicopter acci-

dent statistics. The global trend is a slightly declining number

of accidents per 100,000 flight hours. At 5.7, it is still too high to

leave room for reaching the target of 1.9 (accidents per 100,000

hours) in 2016 set by the IHST. These numbers are badly influ-

enced by three regions—South America, Asia and Oceania.

There, the trends are upward.

Those regions where the accident trends are downward are

Europe, North America (but both are still short of the reduc-

tion goal) and Africa. So was the 80 percent goal over-ambi-

tious? “It was rather a federating aspiration, coinciding with

the creation of the IHST,” Michel Masson, EASA safety action

coordinator, secretary of the European Helicopter Safety Team

(EHEST) and co-chair of the European Helicopter Safety

Analysis Team (EHSAT), told Rotor & Wing. He insisted the

effort is likely to be carried on after 2016, especially if the goal

is not attained.

The EHSAT and the European Helicopter Safety Imple-

mentation Team (EHSIT) are part of the EHEST, itself the

European chapter of the IHST. The causes of these not-so-

good safety trends are hard to find. “Is the economic downturn

an explanation for the hiccup we see on the graph from 2008?”

asked John Steel, a representative of the Irish Aviation Authori-

ty and co-chair of the EHSIT. His team is still analyzing this pos-

sibility. Another possible explanation is a discrepancy between

training and technology—a Robinson R66 is equipped with a

glass cockpit and a Fadec, Steel underscored.

“Helicopters are safe but some are not operated as safely as

they could be; and we know how to make flying on a helicopter

much safer,” Sheffield stated. Some passengers may disagree with

the first part of the statement. “Over the 1992-2009 period, 31

percent of offshore accident causes were technical,” according to

Olivier Claeys, head of aviation at Total. The oil company simply

wants helicopter transport to be as safe as airlines.

A common pilot error, according to U.S. statistics, is “insufficient power available.”

This does not mean helicopters are underpowered. Rather, “the pilot is unaware of

the power required in the situation,” an FAA analyst said.

41FEBRUARY 2013 | ROTOR & WING MAGAZINEW W W. R O T O R A N D W I N G . C O M 41

Not all types of operations appear

the same way in safety statistics. For

example, in the U.S., private, training and

crop-dusting flights are the top three

numbers of accidents. Several speakers,

however, noted that collecting data is

challenging. It has been impossible, for

instance, for the EHEST to correlate

crashes to numbers of landings.

Dave Howson, a research project

manager at the UK civil aviation admin-

istration (UK CAA), pointed at a cruel

lack of contextual information. He was

referring to annual flying hours by type

of operation and aircraft type, flight time

distribution by flight phase, as well as

pilot flying experience and age. “If we

had started collecting when the EHEST

was launched in 2006, we would have

five-plus years of good data by now!”

he complained. Most accidents involve

Part 27 (lighter) helicopters, Howson

noted. Yet, Part 29 (heavier) helicopters

are included in the statistics. “Do they

cloud the picture?” Howson asked.

Not a lot, it appears from his work. He

studied Part 27-only accidents over the

2000-2010 period. The same two causes

keep the top spots—pilot judgment and

action, and safety management. The

main difference is maintenance—as a

cause, it appears five ranks higher in the

Part 27 focus.

Looking for a clear picture of causes,

too, Lee Roskop, an operations research

analyst with the U.S. FAA, studied 2001-

2010 U.S. data. He noted that loss of

control took the top spot in the “occur-

rence categories.” The most common

error was “insufficient power available.”

Roskop clarified that this does not mean

helicopters are underpowered. Rath-

er, “the pilot is unaware of the power

required in the situation,” he said.

Also from U.S. data, some misper-

ceptions emerged. Personal and private

flights have seven times worse statistics

than helicopter emergency medical

services (HEMS), which have been

highly scrutinized over recent years.

Moreover, common perception that

most U.S. helicopter accidents occur

either at night or in bad weather is not

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CATEGORY | INFO

supported by data. A very high propor-

tion (95 percent) of them occur in visual

meteorological conditions (VMC).

To help curb accidents, the IHST

now has a revised strategy, Sheffield

said. At stake is reaching “those who

haven’t heard or heeded the IHST’s

recommendations.” IHST thus wants to

leverage contacts with license holders—

regulators, insurers, manufacturers and

“best” operators. EHSIT’s Steel identified

general aviation as a major target.

Moreover, the IHST wants to focus

on the training sector. “It is currently the

highest source of accidents,” Sheffield

insisted. He sees an opportunity to cre-

ate a “safety mindset in new pilots.”

He emphasized the cultural aspect.

“The stories you tell can overtime change

the culture so let’s spread success stories,”

he said. Steel put it almost the same way:

“Monkey see, monkey do.” He also urged

operators to give more feedback to the

authorities.

EHSIT has released a number of

safety promotion materials and tools for

the operators, especially small ones. The

safety management system (SMS) tool-

kit, released in July, consists of a safety

management manual, an emergency

response plan and a safety management

database user guide. “It is ready to use

and it is the first product that was built

around the recently published Euro-

pean rules,” Masson said. It is targeted

at “complex” operators—a category

that depends on criteria like the type of

operations (hoist, HEMS etc.) and the

environment (mountain, offshore etc.).

“For non-complex opera-

tors, we’ll issue a lighter

toolkit in 2013,” Masson

added. Another tool is a

pre-departure risk assess-

ment checklist. Its pur-

pose is “to make pilots

and technicians aware

that small simple situa-

tions, when combined,

can raise the total risk

significantly.” The pilot

first scores the initial pre-

flight situation. If an item is scored “red,”

mitigating action must be taken.

EHSIT has published the top train-

ing-related recommendations in leaflets.

“We have released videos on degraded

visual conditions, loss of control and

passenger management—seen from

the pilot and seen from the passenger,”

added Gilles Bruniaux, EHEST co-chair

and a Eurocopter’s vice president of

fleet safety. Some documents have been

translated into other languages than

English, Spanish and Italian, for instance.

“We want to reach everybody,” Bruniaux

said. All these tools are provided free

of charge.

What about improving aircraft cer-

tification processes? This is what EASA

is endeavoring to do with its “level of

involvement” project. As the agency’s

deputy certification director, Frédéric

Copigneaux, highlighted, the role of

the EASA is to check the validity of

demonstrations by the applicant. “We

don’t check 100 percent but the present

rule does not say how much,” he said.

So the project is about defining the

principles to be used to determine the

agency’s level of involvement. EASA will

take into account the novelty (for the

manufacturer and/or the agency) of the

domain. It will also factor in its critical-

ity. A manufacturer is already rated as a

design organization and its performance

level will be heeded, too.

For example, let’s take a top-level

design organization that is submitting a

demonstration for a non-critical item it

has experience with. The EASA will not

verify the demonstration. If the domain

is novel and critical, a verification will

take place. Should the item be rejected,

the manufacturer may be downgraded

as a lower-performance design organi-

zation. In turn, this will increase EASA’s

level of involvement the next time the

manufacturer applies for certification.

Copigneaux is trying to gather indus-

try support for the “level of involvement”

project. Depending on the response, it

could take the fast track through rule-

making, he said. He made it clear it is not

only about rotorcraft.

Meanwhile, the Swedish transport

agency is to issue a regulation for some

operations that were simply not regu-

lated—SAR. “We had several accidents

over the last 10 years, we heard requests

from the Swedish pilots association and

we listened to our investigation board’s

recommendations,” project manager

Annika Wallengren said. Search and

rescue is outside the EASA’s remit so it is

up to the nations to regulate. Spain is to

publish a regulation in April.

SAR is a risky business, as Wallen-

gren put it. Low altitude, hostile envi-

ronment, bad weather and demanding

maneuvers are often combined risk fac-

tors. “We want to create a tool to assist

crews in not stretching a flight,” Wal-

lengren said. The project is at the draft

stage. There are a lot of stakeholders—

the country’s maritime organization,

police, coast guard, armed forces and

HEMS, as well as neighboring countries,

the EASA and operators interested in

performing search and rescue. The plan

is to have the new regulation entering

into force next autumn.

Requirements at the helicopter level

may include a flight management sys-

tem, radar, terrain warning system and

night vision equipment. The required

navigation performance may be a pre-

cision of one nautical mile (RNP1).

Operational minima will be set for tran-

sition down over the water. There will be

requirements at the crew level, too.

Read the complete story and more

Training News at rotorandwing.com

Some countries, such as Spain and Sweden, are to regulate

search and rescue operations.

43DECEMBER 2012 | ROTOR & WING MAGAZINEW W W. R O T O R A N D W I N G . C O M

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By Terry Terrell

TRAINING | STANDARDS

The conscientious helicopter

pilot is almost always engaged

in active accommodation of at

least two completely separate

sets of safety challenges. The first, of

course, is the actual accomplishment of

physical safety. The licensing and quali-

fication mechanisms conventionally

observed in U.S. helicopter operations

ensure that legitimately experienced

pilots are expected to be technically

competent to safely command assigned

aircraft within intended aviation set-

tings. But an additional set of safety

considerations exists as a function of

the way helicopters are actually used

in accomplishing real missions, very

often placing them, and their pilots, in

situations which can best be described

as existing outside the parameters of

aviation itself, and often directly involv-

ing human participation not formally

standardized by the system.

Most helicopter activities, certainly

to include EMS operations, involve

active participation by human talent

not governed by the above mentioned

aviation standardization conventions.

Whether participants are ground

assistance crews, or on-board medical

professionals, these individuals have

to be convinced from the outset that

what they’re doing is safe, and it falls on

pilots, who may or may not have been

trained to provide the kind of leadership

required, to accomplish the convincing.

I remember a particular phase of

preflight training at Navy Pensacola

which had us—the humble flight stu-

dents—located in a cold, windowless

Naval Aerospace Medical Institute

classroom, submitting to a long series

of psychoanalytical written exams. It

was intended that we would be made

physically uncomfortable in order to

maximize stress levels during rapid-fire

forced answering of literally hundreds

of oddball questions, most of which

seemed to us to be totally unrelated to

aviation. Being ambitious flight candi-

dates, though, we were convinced that

certain very critical questions were

randomly buried in the many pages

of queries, waiting to identify and dis-

qualify those not worthy of aspiring to

aviation leadership. We identified one

particular question as highly suspect,

and it went something like: “Would

you, if you had to choose, prefer to

vomit on a crowded bus, or smash your

thumb with a hammer?” Though we

could not have explained why, we

were absolutely certain that answering

this question correctly, as judged from

the Navy perspective, was essential to

our continuing success, and it turns

out that we were right, but for reasons

more meaningful than we could have

ever suspected.

Civilian EMS helicopter programs

usually employ professional nurses and

medics as regular helicopter crews, but

are not necessarily required to train

these “air crew” personnel to certified

FAA standards. The result is that these

crews are often only partially trained

with regard to aviation disciplines, and

it is a well-proven axiom that partial

knowledge can sometimes be less than

completely useful. I once experienced

a night bird strike over mountainous

terrain, detected as a light thump, seem-

ingly to the lower nose section of my

AStar. I was able to determine right

away that we had no obvious structural

damage and that flight controls were

functioning normally, and I carefully

confirmed no oil temperature rise, con-

cluding that our oil cooler radiators had

not been fouled by bird debris. Our

flight nurse, however, probably having

been told somewhere in her limited

training that precautionary landings

were the central cornerstone of safety,

was not convinced that all was well,

and began enthusiastically suggesting

that we land immediately. So I had to

add calming and educating the crew to

my response checklist, which already

included further flight testing, impro-

vising navigation to a safe location for

a correctly prioritized PEL, communi-

cating circumstances and intentions

to my dispatch authority, and ensuring

that program service responsibilities

were minimally compromised. Having

experienced scores of bird strikes over

the years, I knew that this one was not

a real safety problem, so I found myself

describing to the crew that more air-

men had historically come to harm

overreacting to prematurely declared

emergencies than by responding calm-

ly, and that we certainly would not be

well served at that point by rushing to a

landing in unsuitable terrain. We ended

up flying several minutes to a lighted

airport, and I was able to show the crew

a bird smudge on the underside of the

nose of our aircraft, ultimately return-

ing everyone to satisfactory happiness.

This scenario depicts the multi-

level safety responsibility which must

routinely be accommodated by most

helicopter pilots, flying typical missions

outside the military. Real safety abso-

lutely must be delivered, but safe opera-

tions, as perceived by all participants

throughout associated environments,

must also be reassured. The Navy, it

turns out, did not want thumb smash-

ers. They wanted pilots who would take

care of themselves regardless of percep-

tions by others, always bringing their

aircraft home safely. But in the civilian

sector we go a step further, making sure

that the pilot is not alone in returning

home safe and happy.

Multiple Levels of Safety

Safety Watch


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17309


COMMERCIAL | TECHNOLOGY

New Era of Human Factors

Leading EdgeBy Frank Lombardi

We live in amazing times.

A s I c o m p o s e t h i s

month’s column on my

laptop, I’ve got my tab-

let to the left of me, and my smart-

phone to my right. Poised and ready

to provide the answers to all my ques-

tions, they are the ultimate reference.

Well, almost. I’ve been “googling”

around for a while now, looking for

a human factors term I learned in

graduate school, yet I simply cannot

find anything that sounds like what

I remember.

After conceding, I grabbed my

human factors textbook off the shelf,

skimmed the index, and found the

term I was looking for. I was able to

rely on recognition, instead of the

“free recall” necessary to use a search

engine. Turning to the page, the sur-

rounding paragraphs put that term

into context. At the same time, it cre-

ated a perfect example for the basis of

this month’s column.

“Smart” devices and associat-

ed software bring new benefits to

our aviation profession every day.

They have revolutionized the way

we learn in the classroom, the way

we plan a flight, and how we operate

in the cockpit. There’s no debating

they are an indispensable tool and

hold enormous potential. But as

aviation is so intolerant of error, we

must also examine the downside

of our planned advances. After all,

we are only human, and much of

what we don’t understand still lies

within ourselves.

Emerging te chnolog y always

brings a new batch of human factors

for engineers to deal with. Smart

devices rely on a specific input

method (touch/multi-touch), which

constrains the way we can interact

with the software. This demands a

re-thinking of the user-interface so

the interaction is efficient and pro-

ductive, lest we become “cognitively

lost.” It’s the term I searched out in

my textbook earlier—and something

we cannot afford in the cockpit. You

probably already have a list of appli-

cations that are user-friendly and

those that are not.

I have begun to notice some other

potential pitfalls of our favorite tech-

nologies. I can still rattle off phone

numbers of every neighbor on the

block I grew up on, yet, I couldn’t tell

you the numbers of most of my cur-

rent coworkers. They’re all just names

on a contact list, and only good to me

when my smartphone is within arms-

reach. Do you remember the phone

number to the Flight Service Station,

automated weather service of your

local airports, or other important

numbers? Or do you just have them

programmed into your device?

As a teenager, I could look up at

the night sky and “star-hop” from one

side of the horizon to the other, nam-

ing stars and constellations based

on their proximity to others. Now I

have an expensive GoTo telescope,

which can point right to an object

with a push of a button, allowing me

to look at thousands of objects in its

database. Take it away from me, how-

ever, and I am again cognitively lost,

barely able to point you toward any of

them. I’m left only with all the objects

I remembered as a teen. When heli-

copter vibration has finally put your

moving map system out of commis-

sion, do you reach for your paper

map or your smartphone? There are

arguments for both. But how does

the situational awareness of those

who reach for the phone or map dif-

fer? Remember, your GPS can tell

you where you stand, but that doesn’t

mean you know where you are.

These examples highlight a shift

in the way technology is shaping the

way we learn and use information.

The fact that we are more inclined

to grab the nearest web-based search

engine to find an answer and then

quickly move on, rather than learn

something and store it in our brain’s

“hard drive” has been termed the

“google effect.”

When we talk about good crew

resource management (CRM) as the

ability to use all information available

as a tool, today’s technology opens

us up to a world of help. But don’t let

total reliance on technology become

a “single-point failure” in your plan.

Engineers do not like single-point

failures, as they cause the whole sys-

tem to stop working.

Wisdom in aviation is built slowly,

over time. As we mature in our pro-

fession, we amass knowledge; we

build an internal database that grows

over the years. From this, we develop

our aviation wisdom. This process is

short-circuited by instant access to

information in today’s world. We no

longer remember all things, we just

remember where to find an answer.

How will this philosophy impact the

wisdom of future aviators? I’m not

sure. As for now, I don’t know about

you, but if I am in an extreme situa-

tion, and left to choose between rely-

ing on the knowledge in my device or

what’s in my head, I’ll choose me.


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As you may have heard, we

recently lost a crew of fellow

police aviators. Officers Rich-

ard J. Halford and Shawn A.

Smiley of the Atlanta Police Department

went down in their OH-6 on Nov. 3 at

approximately 2230 hours while search-

ing for a missing nine-year-old. Wires

were involved, but as of this writing it’s

unclear if those lines caused the acci-

dent, or if they were struck because their

already-crippled aircraft came down

upon them. Regardless of the cause, I’m

sure you all join me in saluting their ser-

vice, and wishing their survivors, fellow

officers and friends comfort.

As I watched the news accounts

and read some of the articles about the

accident, two things struck me—one of

them in a good way, and the other in a

very annoying way. What struck me in

a good way were the comments made

by the mother of the nine-year old just

a couple of hours after the crash, and

shortly after her son had been located by

ground units.

“This is not fair,” said Amire Shakir-

Fulford, who came to the crash scene.

“[Those officers] were trying to help

another family find their child. There’s

nothing I can say to these people. They

probably have little children at home.”

And Ms. Shakir-Fulford was cor-

rect. Halford, the 48-year old pilot, left

behind a 21-year old daughter. Smiley,

the 40-year old tactical flight officer, was

a husband and father of children ages

five, seven and nine.

“All I could do was cry because some-

body lost their life,” said Shakir-Fulford

as she held back even more tears. “They

can’t go home and hug their children,

their wives—nobody.” It seems like the

police don’t hear those kinds of words

enough, sometimes. And though she

shouldn’t feel responsible for the trag-

edy, I could see in her face that she had

already begun to.

As for the annoying thing I saw, it

was the suggestion from citizens that

police aviation creates a hazard in and

of itself, especially in an urban environ-

ment. And that the best way to prevent

any future accidents—saving a few

million dollars in the process—is to

simply disband Atlanta’s aviation unit. If

a helicopter is needed, simply wave one

in from a neighboring county.

It seems like no matter how many

fleeing felons police helicopter crews

find, how many lost children we locate,

how many rescues are made, and how

much order is restored, the knee-jerk

reaction to a crash—regardless of the

severity—is to call for the disbandment

of the involved aviation operation.

In the fall of 2008, a Maryland State

legislator jumped all over the Maryland

State Police (MSP) Aviation Division

after it suffered a fatal crash that killed

two crew members, one of two patients,

and an EMS technician. He told me that

the police were obviously ill-equipped

and improperly trained for medevac

missions. In fact, it was his belief that

a law enforcement body shouldn’t be

involved in medical transports in the

first place. (Never mind that MSP was

the first public safety agency in the coun-

try to offer medevac services!)

MSP’s accident ended up drawing

intense scrutiny from the FAA, the

NTSB, and the department itself. The

result was less of an indictment against

the operation (as that politician was

hoping), and more of an opportunity

to find and fix several latent problems

inherent in the air medical transport

system nationwide.

MSP’s operation weathered the

storm. In fact, those hearings helped

the agency receive approval for a fleet

of brand new helicopters, and raised the

safety bar for all medevac operators.

I’m not so naive to believe that every

person who is against police aviation

will come to see that the benefits far

outweigh the costs and the risks. But I

think we owe it to those who have made

the ultimate sacrifice to keep police

aviation effective and safe by learning

from their experiences, whether suc-

cessful or fatal. We can do that by look-

ing closely at what we’re doing right and

what we’re doing wrong. Safety stand-

downs, outside audits and internal

reviews can be a big help.

And should a situation rise to the

level of a full-blown NTSB investiga-

tion—as hard as it might be for us—we

ought to look at the results with an

open mind, and see what changes can

be made to prevent future accidents

and deaths.

I don’t think I have ever met Offi-

cer Richard Halford or Officer Shawn

Smiley in my travels. They may or may

not have come to the various police

aviation seminars that I’ve been to, or

been able to attend any of the annual

ALEA conferences. And I certainly don’t

know what brought their ship out of the

Atlanta sky on the night of November

3. But I do know this: They served and

died honorably. And for that, we owe it

to them to keep flying.

Officers Halford and Smiley: Men of Honor

PUBLIC SERVICE | POLICE

Law Enforcement

By Ernie Stephens

Commercial Markets Report—Our editors will talk

with representatives of diverse market segments, including

offshore, HEMS, utility, air taxi, tourism, ENG, corporate, etc., to

pull together a snapshot that details how various sectors are

performing and the outlook for 2013 and beyond.

Offshore Expansion—We’ll place special emphasis on

offshore oil and gas exploration and trends in this booming sec-

tor of the helicopter industry. Advancements in large airframes

such as the AgustaWestland AW189, Bell 525, Eurocopter EC175

and Sikorsky S-92 are expanding the range and capacity for

offshore operators around the world, including hotspots such as

the Gulf of Mexico, the North Sea, South America and Asia.

UK Metropolitan Air Support Unit—London is pro-

tected from the air by the Metropolitan Police Air Support

Unit, which flies three Eurocopter EC145s. Rotor & Wing got a

chance to look back over nearly two decades with the retir-

ing head of London’s policemen in the sky, Inspector Phil

Whitelaw.

Columns—Public Service by Lee Benson; Military Insider

by Andrew Drwiega; Offshore Notebook by Pat Gray; and

Law Enforcement Notebook by Ernie Stephens.

U.S. Army Procurement Strategy and Options—How will the uncertainty in Washington over the pending debt

ceiling limits affect various acquisition options for the U.S.

Army’s helicopter fleet? Rotor & Wing’s Andrew Drwiega exam-

ines the answer to this question as part of reports from the

recent AUSA ILW Army Aviation Symposium and Exposition.

CAE Flight Training in India—The simulation provider

invited Rotor & Wing to get a first-hand look at the Helicopter

Academy to Train by Simulation of Flying (HATSOFF) center,

which is a joint venture with India’s Hindustan Aeronautics Lim-

ited (HAL). Our visit to HATSOFF takes place during Aero India

2013, which is being held in February.

Heli-Expo Post-Show Wrap—The helicopter industry

revolves around the hallmark annual event, set to take place

from March 5-7 in Las Vegas, Nev. Heli-Expo 2013 bring togeth-

er hundreds of operators, suppliers and vendors from around

the commercial rotorcraft industry. Look for Rotor & Wing’s

Post-Show Wrap digital edition, and visit www.rotorandwing.

com for coverage of the three-day event.

Spatial Disorientation & Night Vision—AMST, an

Austrian organization that specializes in aeromedical solutions,

is holding an annual user conference in Saltzburg. Andrew

Drwiega reports from this international user meeting on the

study of spatial disorientation and the latest in training tech-

niques. This will also include advances made in night vision

training.

Columns—Helicopter Training News; Leading Edge by

Frank Lombardi; Safety Watch by Terry Terrell; and Military

Insider by Andrew Drwiega

March 2013:

April 2013:


Bonus Distribution: Heli-Expo 2013, March 4-7 in Las Vegas, Nev. CHC Safety & Quality Summit, March 18-20 in Vancouver, Canada. AEA, March 25-28 in Las Vegas, Nev.

Bonus Distribution: Quad-A, April 10-13 in Fort Worth, Texas. ABACE, April 16-18 in Shanghai, China.


By Andrew Drwiega

MILITARY | PROCUREMENT

After 11 years of getting to

know each other on an

escalating level of contact

and cooperation in the

theatres of war that have been Iraq

and then Afghanistan, it appears that

the integration of contractor with the

green-suited fraternity that has been

so widely praised by both parties has

largely remained on the battlefield, or

at least those directly involved on a

daily basis.

It was depressing to hear the

majority of corporate industry speak-

ers on the first day of AUSA ILW

Aviation, the annual post New Year

gathering of the aviation industry and

the U.S. Army at National Harbor,

Md., recite the pleas that have been

heard at these type of gatherings for

years, namely: “Please tell us what

you want.” This is not to denigrate in

any way the self-evident cooperation

and support for existing aircraft con-

ducting combat operations—even

the new ones. The current fleet is

well supported by an industry that

has worked hard to get behind its

warfighters, as well as an Army that

genuinely recognizes and appreciates

what industry has achieved, particu-

larly in cases where an urgent need

has been identified.

The problem lies between those

decision-making monoliths above

this daily teaming. While the fiscal

budget issue did its best to introduce

a Scrooge-like mentality pre-Christ-

mas, the deeper issue is the mistrust

that still exists deep within defense

and industry of each other. Industry

does not believe that those in defense

really know what they want long term

(which directly affects corporate stra-

tegic investment); conversely defense

has been burned so many times by

soaring industry costs and project

overruns that they feel it is almost an

inevitable consequence of any new

procurement decision. We live in a

blame culture where scapegoats must

be found. Heck, the specter of the

RAH-66 Comanche was raised yet

again (the right time of year if slightly

late). And nobody wants to create

The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come.

Maybe the answer is to take the

consultation process higher up the

chain—I mean to the very top. Per-

haps the Captains of Industry need

to face the Generals of Defense in a

locked room for a little bit of straight

shooting from the hip. It might go like

this—Captains: “Make some procure-

ment directional decisions soon or

we will reinvest in other more profit-

able business areas. And remember,

once we lose the experience to make

what you need—relearning is a long

and costly business.”

Generals: “So stop loading the

dice that put us into a bind on every

decision we make, which all end up

prohibitively costly; and be honest

with your design, manufacturing and

certification capabilities before you

offer us something you know has no

guarantee of being delivered to the

original spec.”

What is clear is that something

does need to change—and fast.

A Joint Force for Asia Pacifi c; U.S. Army’s Helicopter Carriers

Ok, I get it. If I had a dollar for every

time I have heard about the military

pivot away from Europe and toward

Asia Pacific—and that nation that

fills our stores with the majority of

non-food items that we buy on a

daily basis—I would be able to buy a

lot more stuff with the label, Made

in China.

What is currently unclear is how

that force will be redeployed, both

in long-term basing, and as a rapid

reaction force, without escalating

tension across the region leading to

additional conflict.

We have already seen the reluc-

tance of the Japanese military in

Okinawa to accept V-22 Ospreys

and of course, the withdrawal of U.S.

forces from bases in the Philippines

that began with the closure of Subic

Bay Naval Base in 1991, may now be

seen as an early contributing factor

that has now encouraged China to

escalate the intensity of its geographi-

cal territorial claims.

So with China’s neighbors cau-

tious about any alignment with the

U.S. and the possibility of a lack of

bases large enough to hold a counter-

force, many are beginning to under-

stand requests for longer endurance

and the need for speed.

The U.S. Marines might not the

only force with sea-basing in their

repertoire. With the British having

recently demonstrated the Apache’s

ability to operate in the maritime

environment off the coast of Libya,

perhaps the U.S. Army’s next bud-

get request might be for a “green”

helicopter assault ship (say, how

many would you need to operate a

Combat Aviation Brigade from the

ocean anyway?)

When Goodwill is Not Enough; Trust Issues

Military Insider

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51OCTOBER 2011 | ROTOR & WING MAGAZINEW W W. R O T O R A N D W I N G . C O M

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6400 Wilkinson Drive

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1-928-708-1550

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RADIO - FLEXCOMM™

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Enhanced noise reduction

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